Shailesh Vara MP has secured an important meeting with Martin Fellows, Regional Director for Highways England to discuss safety concerns at various junctions along the A14 in his constituency of North West Cambridgeshire.
Mr Vara is working with District and County Councillor Ian Gardener who is also keen to see improvements made to alleviate the hazards that villagers currently experience.
Mr Vara has been contacted by a number of residents and Parish Councils who are trying to improve the safety at a number of the junctions. These include the junctions at Bythorn and Keyston, Brington, Molesworth, Ellington, Easton, Catworth, Spaldwick and Leighton Bromswold, all of which are impacted by dangerous joining and crossing points on the busy A14 trunk road.
The Parish Councils have been liaising with Highways England for some time asking for improvements to be made to the junctions, but little action has been taken to date.
Mr Vara will chair the meeting which will include Cllr Gardener, representatives from the villages affected as well as Mr Fellows from Highways England. The meeting will provide an opportunity for the local community to put their concerns directly to Highways England and discuss a way forward.
Mr Vara said:
“The A14 is a very busy road and the junctions to a number of the villages are dangerous to road users. This needs to be addressed and it is important that residents are able to directly put their concerns to Highways England. I am grateful to Martin Fellows for agreeing to meet with us and I very much hope that we can agree a way forward which will ensure greater safety for all concerned.
“As well as working towards a longer-term solution, I hope that in the meantime Highways England can be persuaded to take some short-term action to make the junctions safer than they currently are.”
Cllr Ian Gardener added:
“I have been working with the Parish Councils along the A14 and our MP to get improvements to the A14 Junctions between Ellington and Keyston/Bythorn as they are difficult to enter and exit due to their design and the speed and volume of traffic on the A14. The Keyston and Bythorn junction is particularly bad due to visibility and speed issues. I am therefore extremely grateful that our MP Shailesh Vara has secured a meeting with Highways England to discuss this important matter for our residents.”
Cllr Clifford Spink, Parish Councillor for Bythorn and Keyston Parish Council commented:
“Major road improvements to the A14 trunk road, to both the east and west of Junctions 14 – 20, have increased traffic flow on this already hazardous section of road. On a daily basis the general public have to negotiate joining and crossing high speed traffic with no acceleration or deceleration lanes. The Parish Councils are looking for long term modification to these dangerous junctions. In the shorter term we are pressing urgently for risk mitigation measures which include speed restriction, improved signage to indicate hazards, and better vegetation management to facilitate clear line of sight.”
Martin Fellows, Regional Director of Highways England said:
“We appreciate the desire for local parish councils to secure improvements to this section of the A14 and we’re engaging with them to understand their particular concerns about these junctions.”
“While our monitoring of road safety doesn’t show any significant safety issues at these junctions, we’re sympathetic to their concerns. Therefore, we’re currently investigating options for appropriate short-term minor safety improvements.
“We’ve also recognised the need to improve our cyclical maintenance in this area, so from this year our vegetation management will be increased around these junctions to improve visibility.”
Shailesh Vara MP has teamed up with Cllr. Simon Bywater in calling upon Anglian Water to improve the drainage system in Sawtry, Huntingdonshire. This follows many years of surface water flooding and sewage drainage problems.
Following floods over many years, local residents have been reporting problems to Anglian Water but to date little action has been taken to remedy the repeated problems. Recent weather conditions have again heightened the need for improvement as many residents experienced flooding to their properties, including sewage overflowing from drains. In some cases, residents have been unable to even flush toilets due to the pressure on the system.
Research carried out by Cllr. Bywater has shown that the last drain survey in Sawtry was carried out in 1850 and since then Sawtry has grown substantially and undergone many changes. This includes many new housing developments which have added more pressure to the existing drainage network.
Working with Cllr. Bywater, who lives in Sawtry, Mr Vara has written to Anglian Water’s Chief Executive, Mr Peter Simpson asking for Anglian Water to work with Cambridgeshire County Council in conducting a drain survey at the earliest opportunity and find a long-term solution to the ongoing problems.
Mr Vara said:
“I am working with Cllr. Simon Bywater to try to secure a better and upgraded drainage system in Sawtry. At times of floods, over many years, local residents have been suffering with surface water and the drainage of sewage and the need for long overdue work is now very pressing.
I have written to Peter Simpson, the Chief Executive of Anglian Water, urging Anglian Water to work with Cambridgeshire County Council to undertake a thorough drainage survey to determine the problems and then take the necessary remedial action”
Cllr. Simon Bywater added:
“Sawtry has had significant flooding issues over many years and it’s clear to me that the man-made drainage system under the village is not functioning properly when we have any noticeable rainfall.
I am calling on Anglian Water in conjunction with Cambridgeshire County Council the lead flood authority to carry out a full drainage survey of the village in order that we can understand what the problems are and who is responsible for addressing them.
Until then the problems that we have seen in the village will just continue and this is not acceptable for our residents.”
Shailesh Vara MP has taken action to have a derelict pub in Stanground, Peterborough cleared and secured following years of neglect.
Mr Vara was contacted by his constituent Oliver Sainsbury regarding concerns for the dilapidated Golden Lion pub in Stanground and the anti-social behaviour and drug use that was taking place there.
Shailesh Vara MP and Oliver Sainsbury
Mr Vara visited the premises with Mr Sainsbury and saw first-hand the evident issues of waste build up and drug paraphernalia. Following his visit, Mr Vara wrote to the owner of the premises as well as Peterborough City Council to ensure that action was taken to secure and clean the site. Mr Vara also asked the parties to seek a long term solution, given that the site has been derelict for many years with no improvements made.
The owner has now taken action by clearing the waste and is installing secure fencing which will deter further misuse.
Mr Vara said:
“I am very pleased that Oliver Sainsbury brought this matter to my attention and it is good to see that the owner has taken action to clear and secure the site of the Golden Lion pub. Given its prominent position in the local area, the appearance of the site heavily impacts the local community and therefore it was important that improvements were made and measures put in place to deter the misuse of the site.
“I very much hope that a long term solution is forthcoming and that the owner can work with Peterborough City Council and the local community to secure a permanent way forward.”
Oliver Sainsbury added:
“The Golden Lion Pub has been an eyesore for local residents for quite some time, with fly tipping regularly taking place. I am very pleased that whilst working with Mr Vara, we have managed to clean up the site and make it secure, which I know is appreciated by many people in the area.”
Shailesh Vara MP recently chaired an online meeting to discuss a way forward to ensure the provision of a flyover on the A1 at the Wittering junction.
The meeting was attended by Cllr John Bradshaw and Cllr Geoff Dunckley of Wittering Parish Council; Cllr Peter Hiller, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Commercial Strategy and Investments, Peterborough City Council; Martin Fellows, Regional Director from Highways England; as well as other representatives from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Highways England and Peterborough City Council.
Mr Vara has been campaigning for many years for a flyover at this dangerous junction in Wittering and has previously raised the issue with Government Ministers as well as Highways England.
For any major improvement works to be carried out on the strategic road network, they must first be included in the Government’s Road Investment Strategy (RIS). This strategy sets out a long-term plan for future investment and organisations such as Highways England play a key role in presenting evidence for investment in the strategic road network to the Department for Transport for their consideration.
The next programme of work for the period 2025-30 is currently being prepared and the purpose of the meeting was to engage with Highways England to help them prepare a report which includes the building of a flyover at the Wittering junction. Mr Vara made the case for the flyover as did Wittering Parish Council, Peterborough City Council and the Combined Authority. The meeting was very constructive, and it was agreed that all parties will work closely together so as to put forward the best possible case.
Following the meeting Mr Vara said:
“This has been a long running campaign and despite strong representations in the past from many people, we have not managed to secure a flyover. The pressure for a flyover continues to increase and I very much hope that his renewed coordinated approach will meet with success.
“This was a very good and constructive meeting which gave Wittering Parish Council, Peterborough City Council and the Combined Authority an opportunity to engage with Highways England and to discuss the best way forward.
“I am grateful to all those who attended and especially to Martin Fellows and Simon Amor from Highways England.”
Cllr John Bradshaw of Wittering Parish Council added:
"It was very encouraging, in these difficult times, to take part in a positive Wittering A1 flyover meeting. It was organised and chaired by our MP. The meeting was attended by representatives of Wittering Parish Council, Peterborough City Council, the Combined Authority and Highways England and produced an action plan for the creation of a business case for the much needed A1 flyover at Wittering"
Cllr Peter Hiller, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Investments and Economic Strategy at Peterborough City Council commented:
"For a long time the Council has been campaigning for a new flyover at the A1 Wittering junction so we are very pleased that further discussions are taking place between all the key stakeholders and Highways England. The village lost its regular bus service because of the safety concerns with this junction and the amount of growth that can occur in Wittering is limited until a new junction is constructed. Further meetings have been arranged between all the key partners so that we can put a robust case to Government to fund this much needed junction improvement."
Mayor of the Combined Authority, James Palmer said:
“The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is committed to connecting communities and bringing investment into left behind areas. We included the Wittering Flyover in our Local Transport Plan for that very reason. We are committed to working with the Parish Council and Peterborough City Council to put the evidential case together that will bring forward this long promised, long awaited improvement.”
Martin Fellows of Highways England commented:
“Our network is a vital part of everyone’s life and we’ll never stop searching for ways to improve on safety and reliability. We always welcome feedback and suggestions as to ways this can be achieved, and the meeting with Mr Vara and local stakeholders proved to be very useful. We will continue working with local representatives to see how we can improve safety at this location.”
Shailesh Vara urges the UK Government, the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Assembly to work together to ensure effective co-operation and a co-ordinated approach to dealing with the covid-19 pandemic.
What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on co-ordinating a UK-wide response to the covid-19 outbreak. (909538)
The Government and the devolved Administrations continue to work closely together to ensure a co-ordinated approach across the United Kingdom. As set out in our joint statement of 25 September, the UK Government and the devolved Administrations hold a
“shared commitment to suppressing the virus to the lowest possible level and keeping it there”.
Today’s news about a vaccine will be welcomed across every part of the United Kingdom. I was pleased we could agree a united approach to Christmas planning last week. Although each devolved Administration control their public health policy, we have been co-ordinating positively on our response to covid throughout the year.
Coronavirus knows no boundaries, and it is absolutely vital that the UK Government, the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Assembly work together to deal with it. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is absolutely crucial that we have effective co-operation—north-south and east-west—and a co-ordinated approach to dealing with this pandemic?
I strongly endorse the words of my hon. Friend. This Government are determined to work together with the Northern Irish Executive and the Irish Government to ensure that measures safeguard the health and wellbeing of UK and Irish citizens. There is an existing memorandum of understanding between the chief medical officers for Northern Ireland and for Ireland, which formalises co-ordination and co-operation between the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive in relation to covid-19. The Secretary of State continues to hold regular discussions with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, as well as the Irish Government, to co-operate on covid issues.
Shailesh Vara MP attended the Leighton Bromswold Bike Fest in Huntingdonshire on Saturday 9th June, to help raise funds for charity. As well as meeting the organisers, he met some of the sponsors, cyclists and stall holders. Mr Vara also started off one of the races.
Shailesh Vara MP has expressed his approval at the recent decision by Huntingdonshire District Council to refuse planning permission for a significant poultry farm and abattoir close to both South Stanground and Farcet.
