Shailesh Vara MP has welcomed today’s announcement by the Department for Transport (DfT) of £3.5 million of funding for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough roads. This follows a bid for funds by Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council which was backed by Mr Vara. The funds will go to repair drought damaged roads. This will benefit Mr Vara’s constituency of North West Cambridgeshire which comprises a substantial part of Peterborough as well as a large part of Huntingdonshire.

Mr Vara wrote in strong support of the bid which will address the problem of fen roads being at greater risk of deterioration due to their construction on fen soil that is prone to subsidence. The funds will be spent on deeper treatment to badly affected routes and will make a real difference to make roads better for motorists.

The funding comes from £75 million which has been allocated to local councils nationally following a bidding process to the DfT’s Local Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund Tranche 2A. The Challenge Fund is one part of the £ 6.1 billion being provided to local highway authorities in England, outside London, between 2015/2016 and 2020/2021 to help keep Britain moving and the economy growing.

The money will go towards improving roads which will cut congestion, reduce journey times and improve reliability as well as helping to support local businesses and boost economic growth.

Following the announcement, Mr Vara said:

“This is excellent news and I am very pleased that the Government has backed the Council’s scheme for fen roads with significant funding.

The roads provide vital vehicular access for many communities and their improved condition will ensure safer and better travel for motorists.

The Council’s bid was one of many and it is encouraging to see that the Government has recognised our local need and provided the necessary funds.”