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Major road cuts ahead

17th August 1995, Page 10
17th August 1995
Page 10
Page 10, 17th August 1995 — Major road cuts ahead
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Keywords : Cut, Business / Finance

by Guy Sheppard • Transport secretary Sir George Young is under pressure to make sharp cuts in next year's road building programme as part of a new crack-down on public spending.

A confidential briefing paper to Sir George suggests that the £1.8bn earmarked for road maintenance and building in 1996-97 could be slashed by up to £200m in the November Budget.

The leaked document, written by a senior official in the department's Highways Agency, warns that the cuts would result in "considerable difficulty in maintaining a viable network".

A spokeswoman for the department says discus sions about next year's public spending levels were still at a very early stage.

But Andrew Pharoah, campaigns co-ordinator of the British Road Federation, says the implications of the paper were disturbing. "The Government is looking to make tax cuts to any capital expenditure programmes are going to be under tremendous pressure.

"We lost £450m from the roads programme last year," he adds. "We are now facing a crisis in terms of both road maintenance and new road building."

He adds that further cuts would jeopardise the completion of such schemes as the M667 around Manchester and the Al2/M11 link road in north London.

David Green, director general of the Freight Transport Association, says: "Only last week, in its pre-Budget submission to the chancellor, the FTA highlighted the need to enhance and repair the roads infrastructure.

"H the Government chooses to do the opposite, then the consequences for British industry, the economy and the environment will be very serious indeed."


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