Black Country MP: Government has 'recycled' transport spending plans

Nearly every road improvement project highlighted in the Government's 'new' £15 billion package has already been the subject of a previous announcement.

Some were part of packages of regional spending unveiled during the summer, while others were part of previous Government statements from more than a year ago. And some are even older than that.

One political veteran linked the £15bn transport announcement to the General Election next May.

John Spellar, the MP for Warley and a previous Transport Minister under Tony Blair, said: "I am all in favour of recycling but recycling policies like this brings it into disrepute.

"I think its a sign of desperation from a Chancellor whose economic policies are rapidly being found out.

"We have all borne the pain inflicted by Government cuts, particularly here in the north and Midlands, and yet the deficit remains obstinately high. Now he's turning to gimmicks to fool the public before May next year."

Mr Spellar also called on the Government to accelerate the timing of its road works, saying: "More than anything, we have got to make sure they get on with it. The country's hard-pressed motorists deserve a break."

He added: "I think its more designed to help some marginal seats."

It has been pointed out that many of the 80 new English road schemes announced in the £15bn package are in key coalition constituencies, but Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "You don't make decisions like this based on a political map."

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin hailed it as "the biggest, boldest and most far-reaching roads programme for decades", while Chancellor George Osborne said it would "transform some of the country's most important strategic routes".

Chief Secretary to the Treasury and chairman of the cabinet infrastructure committee, Danny Alexander said the projects would "help unleash the economic potential of both the regions they serve and of the overall economy".

But shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher said: "The Government has 'announced' plans for road investment at least three times since 2013.

"We know David Cameron's record on infrastructure is one of all talk and no delivery. Hard-pressed motorists have been consistently let down by this Government."

Among the 32 schemes for the Midlands in the Road Investment Strategy is the introduction of hard shoulder running on the M6 between junctions 10a at Wolverhampton and 13 at Stafford, part of the Smart Motorways scheme, which was announced back in 2011 and work started a year ago.

The extension of the scheme from Junction 13 up to Junction 15, at Stoke on Trent, was part of an announcement last summer by Transport Minister Stephen Hammond, along with work on a series of M5 motorway junctions. Mr Hammond also confirmed at the time the Government would be going ahead with a scheme to link the M54 with the M6 northbound - currently it only feeds into the motorway's southbound carriageway. Indeed, eight weeks of consultation on the scheme started last month, with exhibitions showing options for the planned route to link the M54, the M6 and possibly M6 Toll.

Funding is expected to be confirmed in Chancellor George Osborne's Autumn Statement tomorrow.

Mr Osborne will also confirm spending on the widening of Junction 10 of the M6, the notorious motorway traffic blackspot at Walsall.

This is billed as a new scheme in the Road Investment Strategy unveiled yesterday.

But, as readers of the Express & Star will recall, the Government has already committed £30m to the project as part of the Black Country Growth Deal, a £138m programme of works across the region that was unveiled in July. But there has still been no date set for work to start.

Attention will be focused on Mr Osborne when he stands up in the House of Commons tomorrow for clues.

Confirmation of the transport spending has been welcomed by politicians and leading business figures across the Black Country.

Tom Westley, a board member of the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, said: "Today's road investment strategy announcement for Junction 10 of the M6 is great news as it will make a major contribution to reducing congestion and improving traffic flow, across and onto the M6 at one of the country's busiest junctions.

"This will support the development of the Black Country Enterprise Zone's Darlaston sites which aim to create over 2,000 new jobs and the construction of 2,500 new homes within a few miles of the junction."