Mayor to raise objections after A-road scheme axed

The Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough said objections would be raised after the government removed planning consent for upgrades to part of the A47.

The Department for Transport (DfT) withdrew funding to dual the section between Wansford and Sutton in the 2025 spending review.

Mayor Paul Bristow said removing the planning consent would prevent him from looking at alternative methods of funding.

A DfT spokesperson said difficult decisions had to be made on road projects that were unfunded or unaffordable, but highlighted it was committed to other sections of the A47 in Norfolk.

Bristow, who also chairs A47 Alliance, which campaigns to dual the whole of the road across the East of England, confirmed he would raise objections.

He said: "Our Local Growth Plan sets out an ambition to triple the size of our economy by 2050 – the kind of growth government says it wants. The A47 Wansford to Sutton scheme would have supported this mission, while also cutting congestion."

Labour MP Sam Carling previously set up a safety improvement group for this section of the A47. He said he was working with National Highways and residents to look at options.

He added: "I am not aware that the mayor has offered funding from his own budgets to support the previous dualling scheme.

"If he is willing to do so, I would urge him to be clear with the government and the public about that."

In a statement, the DfT said: "Given the challenging financial picture we inherited, difficult decisions had to be made on road projects that were unfunded or unaffordable, including the Wansford to Sutton dualling project.

"But we are investing in three major upgrades on the A47 [under construction in Norfolk], helping to ease congestion and deliver faster journeys for drivers."

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