Councillor reminds parishioners of campaign pushing for A38 improvements

PEOPLE in a small community near Burton have been reminded of efforts by Staffordshire County Council to make their journeys on the A38 less affected by accidents.

County councillor Julia Jessel, writing in the current newsletter of the Church of the Holy Angels, Newchurch with Hoar Cross, said: “Over the past three years a small team of councillors from Staffordshire County Council, Lichfield District Council and East Staffordshire Borough Council, led by Julia Jessel, have been working hard to establish the need for investment in the A38 to improve road safety, make it fit for the future and reduce the impact on Lichfield and Burton and all the surrounding villages, which are disrupted every time there are roadworks or accidents on the A38.

“The team has now secured the support of the 3 local MPS, Kate Griffiths MP for Burton, Michael Fabricant, MP for Lichfield and Heather Wheeler, MP for South Derbyshire, who are now all calling for improvements to the A38. The A38 passes through each of their constituencies, and is of critical importance to their residents and local businesses, connecting South East Staffordshire with the rest of the Midlands and the north and south of the country, and the important A50 corridor. They all agree that working together, there is a greater chance of securing the best possible improvements to this section of A38, as well as other sections which also need investment. The MPS have come together with local councillors to seek new investment from the Government and National Highways to improve local junctions and slip roads to the A38 to make it safer for all road users, with the goal that this will ultimately cut congestion and improve journey times. It will also have the benefit of reducing the use of rural roads through local villages and the A515 by HGVS which should be using the A38– A50 route.”

Councillor Jessel said the council was helping to develop a strong business case to secure Government funding for the A38 improvements — something the three MPS would be pushing for.