The Member of Parliament for Burton and Uttoxeter, Kate Kniveton, has today (04/12/23) taken part in Midlands Connect’s ‘Network North in the Midlands: Next stop delivery’ conference to discuss the next steps for the A50/A500 corridor major upgrades project.
Taking place at Birmingham University, the local MP, who is also the project Champion for the North Midlands Manufacturing Corridor, took part in a panel event alongside representatives from Midlands Connect and the Chamber of Commerce.
In October, the Prime Minister announced the Network North plan which comprised of investment worth £9.6 billion for the Midlands, including the improvements to the A50/A500 corridor which Ms Kniveton had been campaigning for since her election. This investment into the A50/A500 corridor will make significant alterations at various pinch points to improve journey times by 30%, improve air quality and support the creation of thousands of new jobs in the region.
As part of the Panel, Ms Kniveton announced what she anticipated the next stages of her campaign to be and how she would make it her mission to see the delivery of the scheme now that her efforts to secure Government commitment for the project had been successful.
The project is still going through various design phases and option selections to ensure the best possible improvements are delivered to the A50/500 corridor. However, Ms Kniveton highlighted that pressure needed to be kept on the Government, the Department for Transport and National Highways to ensure that this vital investment is delivered as swiftly as possible.
On Friday last week (01/12/23), Ms Kniveton, visited the Uttoxeter MacDonalds A50 Roundabout with the Chief Executive Officer of Midlands Connect, Maria Machancoses, to demonstrate just how urgent these upgrades are to the local MP’s constituents in Burton and Uttoxeter.
Commenting, Kate Kniveton MP and Project Champion for the North Midlands Manufacturing Corridor said:
“Securing the necessary commitments for the A50/A500 upgrades is a big success story for Burton and Uttoxeter. It will transform journeys in our part of the world and provide a significant boost to the local economy.
“However, residents, business and our wider region will only benefit from this investment once the upgrades are delivered. That is why I will now work with the same vigour that secured this commitment to ensure that the construction phase is brought forward as quickly as possible.
“I would like to once again thank Midlands Connect for all their efforts in helping achieve this commitment from the Government and particularly to Maria for inviting me to today’s panel event as well as visiting Uttoxeter last week to see just how crucial this investment in the A50/A500 is.”
