Middlewich Eastern Bypass hits more delays as Government deny funding

The wait for Government approval of the 1.6-mile carriageway continues, despite other projects in the county receiving funding.

At the Cheshire East Council meeting on Wednesday (May 15), the Government provided the full funding for improvements to the A500.

Carol Bulman, Labour councillor for Middlewich, believes this to be a 'levelling down' of Middlewich which will become part of a new constituency at the next General Election.

She said: “I have nothing against the A500 but I would like to point out that there is a great inequity in the treatment by Government of this project and that of the Middlewich Eastern Bypass.

“The Government seem prepared to throw money at the A500 project whereas the Middlewich Eastern Bypass, which had the superior business case submitted in November 2023, has been denied funding.

"Nothing has changed since then, yet a new business case has been requested. Why?

“It is a cynical and deliberate delay, and obvious ‘levelling down’, now that Middlewich is no longer in the Congleton Conservative-held constituency.

“Now we are in the Mid Cheshire constituency, a less winnable seat for the Conservatives, Middlewich is immediately abandoned.”

Councillor Carol Bulman (Image: Cheshire East Council)

The bypass will connect a new roundabout junction off Pochin Way in the north of Middlewich to a new roundabout junction in the south, connecting with the A533 Booth Lane.

It is estimated to cost £95.7 million, with £24.9 million of this being provided by Cheshire East Council and developer contributions covering another £22.8 million.

Labour say Fiona Bruce, MP for Congleton, promised £57 million back in 2017.

As such, there is confusion as to why the Government will not sign off on the smaller sum of £48 million now being sought.

Andrew Cooper, Labour parliamentary candidate for Mid Cheshire, said: “It is absolutely outrageous that the Conservative government are trying to wriggle out of the promise they made to the people of Middlewich.

“Many residents are telling me that the bypass is their number one priority for the town, so this is a real blow.

“It’s the same old story: far too often transport schemes in the north are curtailed or cancelled, while schemes in the south – often with worse value for money – go ahead.

“Middlewich deserves this investment just as much, if not more, than any other town or city in the country, and our residents are sick of being overlooked time and again.  The Conservatives made a promise in 2017.  They must keep it.”

Planning permission for the bypass was approved in 2019 (Image: Cheshire East Council)

However, Ms Bruce believes the blame for the project’s delay lies with the council and not the Government.

She said: “Suggestions that the Middlewich Bypass – which I have fought so long and hard for – is being set back for any reason other than years of delays by Cheshire East Council, during which time costs have escalated, are very wide of the mark.

“The fact is that, as the Minister for Roads, Guy Opperman MP, has clearly stated ‘though we approved the scheme at the previous business case stage, costs have risen and the overall value for money in the most recent Full Business Case provided us is poor’.

“It is for that reason that the Roads Minister has asked Cheshire East Council to look again at the scheme costs.

“As a strong advocate for the bypass, and Middlewich, over the whole of my time as MP here, no-one is more disappointed than I am that the delays have come to this. 

“Rather than making excuses and trying to score political points, what Labour should be doing is focussing their energies on putting the scheme back to the Government Minister who has said ‘we will work with Cheshire East Council to help ensure any revised Full Business Case is in as strong a position as possible’.”

Cllr Janet Clowes, Conservative group leader on the council, added: “The people of Middlewich have been severely let down. Had Cheshire East Council commenced on schedule in 2019, the project would have been completed by now.

"Instead, the project has been altered, modified, required four more planning applications and in the meantime costs have risen out of control.

“The Government is quite right to demand that Cheshire East Council re-thinks the current scheme, provides the robust business case required to justify the scheme and importantly, their ability to deliver it.”