Doubt Cast on £6m Transport Funding for Gridlocked Chepstow amid Spending Review

NEARLY £6 million promised for transport improvements in a gridlocked Gwent town is in doubt due a review of spending commitments. 
The funding for Chepstow was announced by then chancellor Jeremy Hunt in last November’s autumn statement that set out the former Conservative government’s spending plans. 
But many of those projects have been thrown into doubt since Labour won power at the UK general election, in July, and has claimed the previous administration had left many of its planned projects unfunded. 
Councillor Paul Griffiths, the Monmouthshire County Council cabinet member responsible for the economy including transport, said it is now uncertain what will happen to the £5.9m promised for Chepstow. 
The Labour councillor told the full council’s September meeting: “Since the election that bid has been caught up in the same process as hundreds of other funding bids across the UK where the new government is looking again at the whole funding envelope and all the outstanding funding proposals so we await the outcome of that review.” 
He had been asked, by Conservative councillor for the town’s Mount Pleasant ward, Paul Pavia if the UK Government had agreed to it using some of the £6.9m for a study, with Gloucestershire County Council, on a potential Chepstow by-pass, and when it could be put out to tender. 
Cllr Griffiths said the council asked if it could use £500,000 for a joint study with Gloucestershire to look at “all options for mobility improvements across the Severn Estuary” and said he wanted to stress it was “not specifically” for a by-pass study. 
But explained there is now uncertainty due to the government’s review of funding allocations with the money announced for Chepstow intended to create a space for buses to turn in the car park of the train station as well as fund improvements to walking and cycling paths. 
Cllr Pavia had asked for an update on how the council is addressing congestion in the town which Cllr Griffiths, who represents the Chepstow Castle and Larkfield ward, acknowledged is a “feature of daily life that frustrates many who live in the town and many more who seek to move through it.” 
He said the Welsh Government has agreed to start a further study to design improvements to the High Beech Roundabout and the council cabinet had also met with Welsh transport secretary Ken Skates and outlined its, previously rejected plans, to create access to the M48 from Rogiet and Caldicot. 
Cllr Griffiths said: “We had a different reception to two years ago this time the cabinet secretary said he wanted to take a pragmatic approach and seek ways to make best use of the existing network and asked officials to look at the case for new access along the M48.” 
He also said by the end of the year Transport for Wales will run hourly services to Chepstow and together with Cross Country services the town will be served by half hourly services for most of the day. 
He said councillors should “market” the improved rail and bus services for Chepstow to residents. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​