Cost Neutral £2m Improvement to Bromsgrove's Roads Proposed by Lib Dems

Ahead of Worcestershire County Council’s budget setting meeting this week, Liberal Democrat Councillors have put forward a cost-neutral proposal which would see investment of £2m into Bromsgrove roads affected by the Bromsgrove Route Enhancement Programme (BREP) roadworks.

If voted through, the proposal would ringfence the unallocated Department for Transport Grant for the 26/27 financial year for Bromsgrove’s roads.

County Councillor for Bromsgrove East, Sam Evans commented: “The County Council’s BREP project will not only fail to tackle our existing traffic issues, but in some circumstances it has created problems rather than solve them, such as on Regents Park Road in the Oakalls. That’s why myself and Liberal Democrat councillors have been opposing BREP since its inception, and we have been holding the previous Conservative administration and now the new Reform administration to account over their plans.

Because of the BREP roadworks, other nearby roads in Bromsgrove have been negatively effected, such as in Aston Fields, which are being used as cut throughs to avoid traffic. Liberal Democrats are proposing using £2m of an unallocated grant to support areas adversely affected by BREP and this will be cost neutral to Bromsgrove’s residents.”

County Councillor for Bromsgrove South, Sam Ammar added: "Residents across Bromsgrove, including the areas of Aston Fields, Charford and Rock Hill that I represent on the Council have had to endure the disastrous BREP project. To mitigate issues faced by Bromsgrove residents we need greater investment into our town's roads and our cost neutral approach will help address this."

Lib Dem councillors have also put forward six other amendments to the County Council’s budget which would see investment into footpaths and pedestrian crossings, a feasibility study for a new SEND school, a drainage stability fund to address areas with routine local flooding, and maintenance funding for rural roads.

The Liberal Democrats are an opposition party on Worcestershire County Council, holding seven of the 57 seats. The party is therefore calling on other parties to support their budget proposals to improve residents’ lives across Bromsgrove and Worcestershire as a whole.