Shropshire Council Leader and MPs lobby Secretary of State on A5 improvements

Shropshire Council Leader Keith Barrow has today joined Shropshire MPs Owen Paterson and Daniel Kawczynski to lobby the Secretary of State for Transport on improvements to the A5 in Shropshire.

An important trunk road within the county, Shropshire Council continues to lobby Highways England on improvements to the A5 – in particular its extension to a full dualled highway within Shropshire from the Wolfshead junction to Chirk, and then beyond.

Today’s meeting provided the opportunity to put the case for improvements direct to Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State for Transport.

Councillor Barrow said:

“I’m very pleased Owen Paterson has invited Daniel and I to join him to lobby the Secretary of State on this hugely important matter.

“Making the A5 a dual carriageway along its entire length is crucial for both safety and economic reasons.

“There have been far too many serious and fatal accidents along this stretch of road in recent years, and many of these could well have been prevented. It’s vital that improvements are carried out to help prevent further accidents, injuries and fatalities in future.

“But improvements to the A5 are also crucial for the county’s economy and future prosperity.

“Our current Economic Growth Strategy makes it clear that Shropshire is ‘open for business’ and aims to ensure that the Shropshire economy is growing more rapidly than other areas. However, the further dualling of the A5 corridor is key to realising this aim, as this would greatly improve access to Shropshire from the West Midlands, via the M54.

“And Shropshire Council is currently supporting and encouraging housing, retail, commercial and leisure developments in Oswestry. These will contribute enormously to the local economy, but need a good, safe and effective road network.

“I’m pleased to have the opportunity to put these arguments to the Secretary of State and hope he gives us a fair hearing.”

Further information

Shropshire Council supports the ambitions to improve road connectivity and reduced travel times across the wider Midlands area through the Midland Connect initiative. However, input to the Midland Connect programme on behalf of Shropshire Council and the Marches LEP has highlighted that the single carriageway A5 corridor is a constraint on growth.