NEWSROOM

The Leader of Telford & Wrekin Council has welcomed a Government injection of £6.89 million to support projects in the area whilst repeating calls to press on with building a new road that connects the M54 to the M6 north.

Last month, Telford & Wrekin Council, supported by Staffordshire County Council, City of Stoke-on-Trent Council, South Staffordshire Council, Shropshire Council and Midlands Connect, called for the Department of Transport to kick-start the key scheme which would reduce congestion and emissions by removing over a million cars and lorries from local roads.

Councillor Lee Carter, Leader of the Council, said:

“The additional £6.89m from the Department for Transport is extremely good news and over the next year will enable us to tackle pothole repairs through major re-surfacing programmes on roads and footpaths, undertake junction improvements as well as delivering more to improve road safety in and around the journey to school. 

“On top of this, the much-needed funding will boost the Pride in Our Community commitment that will see further enhancements to improve road signs, road markings and other minor street furniture repairs that our residents report to us.

“We will ensure these improvements are delivered for the benefits of our residents and motorists across the borough but we keen to keep the spotlight on the game-changing scheme linking the M54 and M6 motorways that should be top of Government’s agenda.

“This proposed link-road would unlock countless benefits not only for our borough but for the whole of the Midlands and we have sent an open invitation for the Secretary of State for Transport to come and visit to see the site to support a speedy decision.”

As well as the £6.89m for local highways schemes, which takes the Council’s 2025/26 capital programme budget to nearly £18m, the authority has also benefited from £1.88m of additional maintenance funds from the Government for highways repairs as the authority continues to tackle potholes in the area.