Where’s the Blyth Relief Road?

When last in power, Labour in Northumberland went all out to build a new northern relief road for Morpeth to ease pollution problems for residents in Morpeth improving their health and to ease pressure from the A189 by splitting the traffic attempting to access the A1 from the towns and villages which make up South East Northumberland and the rural coalfield.

Following on from the success of the new highway, cash was set aside by the Labour administration to set about designing and settling a route to build a relief road for the Counties largest Town, Blyth, to bring similar benefits for residents and reduce pollution levels on both Cowpen and Laverock Hall Road.

After a consultation period a finalised route was planned out and following the May 2017 local Government elections the incoming Tory administration ran out story after story about what they were going to deliver for Blyth.

The route is in two parts, an incoming route from the A189 and a cross town route along the old mineral line from Cowpen to Newsham. The Tories have recently been questioned by Labour Councillors and have had to admit there’s no cash for matched funding to develop this highway.

Cowpen County Council candidate Margaret Richardson spoke with us to express her disdain, after visiting the site of the cross town road in Cowpen she said: “It is typical of how the Tories treat residents in the Town of Blyth”. “They have promised the earth since 2017 and only delivered the tarmacing of one piece of road in Cowpen over the last four years.”

“Their accounts are a shambles and they have spent over £100m on roads in rural areas yet can't produce enough cash to match the Highways Agency funding for this project and have sent it back to rot on their shelves but can find £8m to bail out their mates at ADVANCE Northumberland”.

“If elected on May 6th I will fight tooth and nail to get this highways project off the ground and begin to improve the health of Cowpens residents who have suffered an extra four years from the pollution problems brought about by the abandonment of this project and the Tories ungenuine back turning plan they have run out against Blyth for the last four years!”