As we enter the new year, the work in Wrexham continues. I am grabbing the wheel and getting Wrexham moving again by continuing to lobby the Welsh Government to implement a pro-growth and pro-business transport infrastructure that matches the needs of our growing city.
To ensure residents and those who contributed to my 20 mph and transport survey are kept informed on issues that arose in 2022 but flow into 2023, at the start of this article I thought it would be useful to summarise the work I have done so far regarding the Welsh Government’s unpopular 20mph blanket policy.
Following the Welsh Government’s announcement of introducing a default 20mph speed limit on residential roads, I conducted a survey to hear Wrexham residents’ views on this policy. Unsurprisingly, this policy, costing the taxpayer £32 million was unpopular with residents: 94% of respondents disagreed with the Welsh Government. After hearing from residents and writing to Wrexham Council and the Welsh Government outlining these concerns, I received clarification from Darren Williams, Chief Officer of Environment at Wrexham Council regarding what the next steps for this policy, being introduced in September 2023, will be.
The Welsh Government’s justification for this expensive policy, is that they say, lowering the speed limit from 30mph to 20mph will save the taxpayer £100million in the first year alone. I queried this with the Welsh Government and submitted a Freedom of Information request asking for a breakdown of that £100million saving. They responded with a research paper from the Transport Research Institute (TRI) at Edinburgh Napier University.
Having received a reply from the Welsh Government at the start of the new year and to make sure that Wrexham residents are kept informed, I have written to all residents who contacted my office regarding the 20mph zones in Wales and those who filled in the transport survey outlining the latest information.
Once again, the Welsh Government’s story of unnecessary and expensive spending on slowing Wales down continues to unfold. Just before Christmas, it was revealed that the Welsh Government has spent over £3m of taxpayer’s money by fitting speed cameras on five stretches of major Welsh roads, including the A483 in Wrexham. In fact, these speed cameras have yet to demonstrate any proof that they have lowered emissions or congestion.
The key worry here, is that time and time again the Welsh Government fails to prioritise spending money where it really matters. My constituents consistently face congestion on the A483, and the Welsh Government are yet to decide on the plans for the much-needed bypass on the A482 under the Welsh Roads Review. As a new city, transport connectivity is crucial in ensuring Wrexham’s economy grows as much as possible. This bypass would resolve many of my constituents concerns by improving journey times, providing new active travel links for local residents, workers, and tourists. Whilst the Welsh Government think that using £32million worth of taxpayer’s money for an unwanted 20mph policy and £3m of taxpayers on a wasted speed camera programme is ‘logical’, refusing to invest in making infrastructure and road improvements is illogical and will certainly hinder Wrexham. The Welsh Labour Government needs to get Wales moving again by investing into road improvements with a transport agenda that encourages growth rather than freezing it.
Since launching my transport survey back in July, more and more issues have been raised with me. The transport campaign continues and if you would like to give your view and have not done so already, follow this link to fill in the transport survey: https://www.sarahatherton.org.uk/transport-survey.
Following my letter to the Chief Executive of Wrexham Council seeking clarification of the next steps of spending the £22.4 million from the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), Wrexham Council have confirmed that the application process for round one should open this week. This means that individuals, businesses, and charities can apply for a £250,000 grant. The draft application and guidance and more information can be found via this link: https://www.sarahatherton.org.uk/uk-gov-shared-prosperity-fund. The UKSPF replaces funding from the EU, and thanks to Brexit, this money now goes straight to local councils to decide how it is spent, rather than to Cardiff to distribute. This level of UK Government commitment to enhancing and growing Wrexham, and the Union, is unmatched. I look forward to working closely with Wrexham Council to see how this money is spent to benefit Wrexham.