Poltiical comment: South Downs MP: 'A27 Arundel bypass must not be cancelled'

Rachel Reeves, the Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer, briefed the media that today (Monday, July 29) she will announce that the government intends to cancel major infrastructure projects – including the A27 Arundel Bypass - to fund their day-to-day spending plans.

The A27 Arundel Bypass has been an ongoing project for National Highways following years of consultation to work up a route that will pass the Development Consent Order. Although the scheme had been delayed for a year for important further surveys, it has always been a fully costed scheme with an anticipated start date of next year.

Commenting ahead of the Chancellor’s speech, Andrew Griffith MP said: “I have previously warned that rural communities will pay the price for Labour’s ‘command and control’ approach to planning. Now we see them attacking the local communities by cancelling the much-needed dualling of the A27 at Arundel whilst offering no funding or ideas for alternatives.

“Residents of West Sussex are getting the worst of all worlds, continued congestion, rat running and pollution on our roads, whilst taxes go up and the money is diverted elsewhere. “