Disruption at Heathrow

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Monday 24th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Heidi Alexander]

I am happy to give my hon. Friend that assurance.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Secretary of State for her answers. Of course, this is not the first time there has been a problem with Heathrow. Back in August 2023, UK air traffic control problems caused chaos. In July ’24, faulty software caused chaos again. We are always hoping that Heathrow is getting better. After the incident in the early hours of last Friday morning, 290,000 passengers—I was one of them, by the way—found themselves stuck somewhere in a queue. That includes many of my constituents, and they had trouble getting home, too. They have been contacting me over the weekend to tell me their stories.

The incident poses questions about whether the current operators are capable of running a third runway, if this fire caused a complete shutdown. Reports indicate that complete closure was not required. Confidence in travelling and in Heathrow are at an all-time low among my constituents and others. Has the Secretary of State made Heathrow officials aware of the need to ensure that contingency plans are not simply notes on paper, but actions to take during a crisis? What has been their response to allay fears caused by the turmoil of last weekend?

[Heidi Alexander]

I do not think anyone underestimates the distress and disruption that this incident caused. Having spoken directly with Heathrow’s chief executive on a number of occasions, I know that he is fully aware of that. This is an unprecedented event of significant magnitude. Day in, day out, Heathrow successfully provides services to hundreds of thousands of passengers and businesses. While it is right that we do everything we can to interrogate the causes of this incident and learn any lessons, I believe that Heathrow airport can continue to be a trusted partner for Government in the longer term.

Transport Connectivity: North-west England

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 19th March 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jo Platt (Leigh and Atherton) (Lab/Co-op)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered improving transport connectivity in the North West.

It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Ms McVey. I am delighted to see so many Members here today. The issue at hand affects many constituencies in the north-west, including mine. Leigh and Atherton, once a beacon of industrial activity, lies between the great cities of Manchester and Liverpool. With our main source of industry gone, we are now part of a commuter belt, alongside constituencies such as those in St Helens, Warrington, Wigan and Salford. Our road networks, originally designed around mills and factories, now struggle to cope with the ever increasing volume of traffic, and I know the same is true in our neighbouring regions of Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria.

A lack of connectivity in one place affects another. Congestion that starts in Leigh does not just disappear when crossing a border; it blocks the roads of our nearest neighbours. The rush-hour struggle to connect to our motorway or city networks means that the A580 East Lancs Road is a source of constant annoyance for many. When my constituents are asked about public transport, they say that, without a rail or Metrolink connection in the centre of Leigh, buses are stuck in the same traffic—it is all part of the increasing frustration.

The lack of efficient transport links is a key barrier to growth. Leigh ranks in the top 1% of the country for transport-related social exclusion, meaning that people are unable to participate in routine, everyday activities because of a lack of viable travel options. A 2024 Transport for the North report highlighted that people in the north-west with access to a car can reach nearly six times as many jobs as those who rely on public transport. Poor connectivity, limited infrastructure and an overreliance on cars leads to high levels of social isolation.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the hon. Lady for securing a debate on this important issue, and I welcome her back to the House and wish her well. She is outlining the issues in the north-west. Does she agree that social isolation in rural areas in particular is exacerbated by infrequent, costly public transport, and if we in this United Kingdom are serious about addressing mental health concerns in our rural communities, we need to bring them out of isolation, physically as well as mentally?

[Jo Platt]

Yes, I do agree, particularly for those who are vulnerable due to age, poverty or disability, as this will have a hugely negative impact on their life chances.

This stark disparity underlines the need for better transport systems and new road networks—ones that boost economic productivity and ensure fairness and opportunity for all. Without the necessary infrastructure, these benefits will remain out of reach for far too many. The narrative often goes that people must leave to succeed, and I am determined to change that story.

We are a proud community, but we are often overlooked when it comes to investment. Growth goes where the growth already is, which stifles the potential for outside business investment and growth for existing businesses. Despite the many positives that Leigh and Atherton has to offer, we still see many young people with great potential leaving to seek opportunities elsewhere.

It can take over an hour and 40 minutes to travel the 18 miles from Leigh to Manchester airport by public transport, while a car journey takes only 30 minutes, if we are lucky—that is not in rush hour. This huge difference cannot be overlooked, especially given the economic and employment opportunities offered by Manchester airport, which provides thousands of jobs to the region. Many of my constituents are missing out on those opportunities due to poor transport links, or have no other option than to use their cars, which obviously does not help with emissions.

It is not just a matter of growth and job opportunities either. After speaking to our borough-wide police force, I discovered that response times in the Wigan borough are slower than in other Greater Manchester areas, and this is due to congestion. Our local health trust, operating sites in Wigan and Leigh, routinely factors in an hour’s travel time for consultants and staff moving between sites—it all adds up.

This is an injustice we must rectify. I am grateful to Wigan council for recognising the issue and its commitment to improving the situation. That aligns with the Government’s broader ambitions on education, skills, growth and revitalisation. Ideas for strengthening our higher education offer are met with questions about how students from the wider region will get there. And when Manchester United’s women’s team play at home, the challenge is how to get fans to the game at the wonderful Leigh sports village.

We have an issue, and we need more train and Metrolink routes in our region. Specifically, it is time to make the case for a Metrolink connection to Leigh. For our wider region, we need improved train frequency, better station accessibility, increased capacity at station car parks, and expanded park and ride facilities for key transport routes. I am sure other hon. Members will speak on those matters.

It is not all doom and gloom. The Mayor of Greater Manchester has done much to improve connectivity across the city region, including Leigh’s famous guided busway: the V1 in Leigh and the V2 in Atherton. Those services have been incredibly successful, with usage exceeding expectations. With the commitment of a £2 bus fare cap, people are using our Bee network more than ever. The next step is to fully integrate towns like Leigh into Greater Manchester’s transport system, making it easier for people to travel seamlessly across the region and unlocking the growth potential of the north-west.

The 2024 boundary changes brought two train stations into my constituency—Atherton and Hag Fold—which is a positive step forward. In addition, the Government’s recent announcement of the reopening of Golborne station brings much-needed investment into the area. I thank Andy Burnham—the Mayor of Greater Manchester —Transport for Greater Manchester, Wigan council and our local councillors for their continued work to make that campaign a reality.

I am also thrilled by the Government’s recent announcement that Leigh is one of the 75 places eligible for the plan for neighbourhoods, benefiting from £20 million-worth of funding over the next 10 years. With that funding, we have an opportunity to build on our strengths and unlock the potential of our high street. However, it is important to note that Leigh remains one of the largest towns in the country without a metro or train connection. This clear gap in our infrastructure must be addressed.

We must focus on linking not just Greater Manchester but Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria, and all the towns in between, including in my constituency. Those often overlooked towns, rural or coastal, are vital to the region’s growth and success. A strategic cross-boundary approach is essential if we are to grow a region that benefits everyone.

Will the Minister support us in that approach? Will he work with me to make the case for Metrolink in Leigh, as part of a connected transport system that benefits not only Leigh but my nearest neighbours? It is vital to focus on a strategic approach to managing connectivity in the north-west, connecting those areas to growth. Only then can we all thrive and fully participate in the region’s growth and prosperity.

North Sea Vessel Collision

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 11th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mike Kane]

The answer is yes. The Ministry of Defence contacted me last night to say that it was ready and willing to be deployed, if required. So far, that has not been required, because we feel that there was no malign intent in this incident. However, as the hon. Member said, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch will investigate and give me its initial findings as soon as humanly possible. I will read its final report—it is my duty to do so as maritime Minister—and we will take the matter from there. The hon. Member was right to raise that point.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank all those who have responded; we owe them a debt. I also thank the Minister for his endeavours. I spoke to him yesterday about this. He has been assiduous and focused, and we in the House should put on record our thanks to him for all that he has done. Will he outline the steps that will be taken to investigate whether failings in visual observation, radar or the automated identification system led to this unexpected collision? How can we ensure that the long-term environmental effects of this devastating collision are dealt with in a co-ordinated manner?

[Mike Kane]

I thank the hon. Member. May I update the House? No sign of pollution from the vessels is observed at this time. Monitoring is in place, and should the situation change, the assets in place will be used as needed. That is the latest information relayed to me. The hon. Gentleman’s question is a matter for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch. We have extraordinarily dedicated officials on site; they were deployed yesterday. They will survey the two vessels and report back to me with initial findings when they can. There will be a final report for sign-off on my desk at some stage. I am grateful for his support.

Thameslink Train Services

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 25th February 2025 Westminster Hall

[Blake Stephenson]

I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman, and I thank him for joining this important debate for the communities across Bedfordshire that rely heavily on rail services for leisure and work. The disruption is also having a huge impact on our economy; I will come to that later in my speech.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

[Blake Stephenson]

Very briefly—it is only a half-hour debate.

[Jim Shannon]

I commend the hon. Gentleman for the work he has done for disabled people who use trains regularly. That should be happening everywhere in this great United Kingdom. Does he agree that disabled people—those who are in wheelchairs, and those who have mobility or vision issues—deserve the same quality of service no matter where they are in this United Kingdom?

Doncaster Sheffield Airport

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 25th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lee Pitcher]

No. Since being elected, I have asked many questions on the subject. I am sure that hon. Members across the House will be delighted to hear that this will not be the last time either. The fact is that it is important to so many constituents, and nothing demonstrates that better than the Save DSA campaign. I am proud to champion the campaign to save our airport in Parliament, and I hope my efforts in this place serve to highlight the wider efforts of local campaigners at home.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I commend the hon. Gentleman for bringing the debate forward. I spoke to him beforehand, so he knows what I am going to say. Does he agree that Government funding for local industry means that a rising tide lifts all ships and that the support for the airport will have a great add-on benefit to the local economy? Does he further agree that support for all our airports through the reduction of air passenger duty for flights within the UK would greatly increase the economic benefits to airports and the constituencies around them, as well as bringing tourism benefits?

[Lee Pitcher]

I most certainly agree that the economic benefits of a regional airport opening are huge, not just for local jobs and the local economy but for the tourism trade, which is massively important right now.

When communities suffer the loss of major employers, as ours did, it is easy to slip into doom and gloom. Mark Chadwick—who I am pleased to say is here this evening—and the rest of the Save DSA campaign team refused to sink into negativity. They knew that there was no good business case to close that airport. They knew that there was no good reason to abandon our community, rip out a part of our heritage and end those jobs. The Save DSA campaign and others have fought tirelessly since the airport’s closure to keep it from becoming yet another example of regional decline. I thank them for their efforts and massively commend their work, as well as that of other groups, such as the Friends of DSA, a group of ex-employees and supporters whom I had the fortune of meeting recently. Their dedication shows that it was never just a job for them. I know they will be following progress closely.

Members who are unfamiliar with our airport may ask, “Why is this so important?” When Peel decided to close the airport in November 2022, it was not just a blow to passengers; it was the end of hundreds of good, well-paid jobs in Doncaster and the surrounding area.

Oral Answers to Questions

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Thursday 13th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lilian Greenwood]

As I am sure the hon. Member knows, there has been a rapid increase in the roll-out of electric charging points—it was up by more than 40% last year. However, she is absolutely right that in some cases that roll-out is difficult, because it is held back by the availability of capacity on the network. That is precisely why we are working across Government, including with my colleagues in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, to unblock those things, so that we can ensure that everyone can access the electric vehicle charging points that they need close to home.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Minister for her answers. I am not a petrolhead, but I do love my diesel vehicle. Those of us who live in the countryside understand that having a diesel vehicle is incredibly important, and there are no electric charging points across the rural countryside. There need to be more of those charging points on the high street and in the shopping centres, and there definitely need to be more of them in the countryside, since those of us who live there are being disadvantaged by the electric car process as it goes forward. What is being done to help the rural community—those of us who live in the countryside and those of us who represent them—take advantage of electric cars as well? The charging points are not there; the system does not work.

[Mr Speaker]

I think the hon. Gentleman has already been charged.

Road Safety: Schools

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 29th January 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

Again, it is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine. I thank the hon. Member for Chester South and Eddisbury (Aphra Brandreth) for securing this debate. Every hon. Member’s contribution will be constructive, but I want to tell those present in Westminster Hall what we are doing in Northern Ireland, because we are doing the very things that the hon. Lady has asked for.

Road safety is a topical subject. I am a vocal supporter of the 20 mph speed limit near schools in Northern Ireland. I pushed for that in my constituency and have been successful in getting those schemes.

Schools have also been promoting the walk to school scheme. One of my local schools, Victoria primary school in Newtownards, has been taking part in a phenomenal scheme where children get points for their house team if they walk, cycle or scoot to school. For those who have to drive, there are points for those who park on the main road and walk a section. That is an exciting way of getting children to incorporate exercise into their daily life and into their mindset. The key question for parents is: are my children safe walking to school? They will not consider walking if cars are zooming by at 30, 40 or 50 mph, as the hon. Lady referred to.

It is enough that the benefits of a safe school environment mean that no child is needlessly injured, or worse, when heading to school, but there are other benefits that we need to consider. In Northern Ireland, we have managed to save half a million pounds in a year from families doing the school run on foot, scooter or bike instead of by car, with schools participating in the Sustrans Active School Travel programme.

At the end of 2023, the number of children travelling actively to participating schools increased from 30% to 42%, the number of pupils being driven to school fell from 60% to 47%, and the number of children completing physical activity for at least 60 minutes each day increased from 29% to 46%. This is not just a road safety issue; it is an educational issue as well.

I am pleased to see the Minister in her place; she always responds positively to our requests. The matter is devolved, but I am trying to put forward what we are doing in Northern Ireland as a suggestion for what needs to be done to back up the hon. Member for Chester South and Eddisbury, who secured this debate. My colleague Michelle McIlveen MLA played a massive part in that scheme in her position on the Committee for Infrastructure and as a Minister. She and I represent the same constituency in different places: she in the Assembly and me here.

A vehicle travelling at 20 mph would stop in time to avoid a child running out three car lengths in front. The same vehicle travelling at 25 mph would hit the child at 18 mph. That is roughly the same impact as a child falling from an upstairs window to the ground—probably, in most cases, concrete. The greater the impact speed, the greater the chance of death. A pedestrian hit at 30 mph has a significant—one in five—chance of being killed. If the speed goes up to 35 mph, that chance is one in three. My point is that the lower the speed, the more the chance of surviving.

We need to ensure that safety is paramount. When we can encourage more people to consider not driving to school, it is better for the environment, better physically, and better for wee minds. Ultimately, the hon. Member for Chester South and Eddisbury put forward a case to make it safer for children outside schools. I support her and wish her well in the campaign. I very much look forward to the Minister’s contribution, and that of the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire (Greg Smith), as well.

Airport Expansion

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 28th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mike Kane]

Yes, is the answer. We will come forward, very shortly, with a policy framework. We have not had one for many years. It is more than time to update it—the hon. Lady is right.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I very much welcome the Minister’s answers—they have been both confident and progressive, which is encouraging for me as the MP for Strangford. My constituents have expressed some concern about the impact on the environment of the potential expansion, but it has been highlighted to me that building for planes to land, so they do not have to circle, is highly beneficial for the environment. Will the Minister confirm that our environmental obligations have been fully considered in any decisions that are made for the potential expansion of Heathrow? Will there be—I know the Minister will say yes, but I want him to say it on the record—more domestic connections with Belfast International and Belfast City airports?

[Mike Kane]

The hon. Member is such a doughty campaigner that I think he had an urgent question in the House a few weeks ago when his plane was cancelled! “Well done,” is all I can say. That day we had a really good question and answer session on connectivity in Northern Ireland. We have two great airports in Belfast, and Derry/Londonderry’s airport serves the north-west. His first question is about planes flying in a straight line—an obscure piece of policy, which is in our manifesto, called airspace modernisation. We can cut up to 10%, 20% and, I am told in the case of some easyJet flights, even 30% of carbon emissions by just getting planes to go in a reasonably straight line and not circle around. It introduces resilience at airports and makes the passenger experience much better. I hope those on the Opposition Benches will support the policy when it comes to this place.

Road Safety: Young Drivers

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 28th January 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the hon. Member for Shrewsbury (Julia Buckley) for setting the scene, and I convey my sympathies to the families in the Gallery on the loss of their young ones. I am very sorry to hear of the horrific accident that occurred in north Wales where four young boys died.

I am concerned to put forward the issues relating to Northern Ireland. Due to the lack of experience, young people are more at risk of being in accidents. Addressing those challenges requires a combination of legislative action and educational awareness. Those are the two things I want to speak about.

In 2019, young people aged between 16 and 24 accounted for almost 21% of those killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions in Northern Ireland. Young drivers are taught to expect the unexpected and to remain cautious on the road. There have been conversations in Northern Ireland regarding enhanced driver education and whether it would benefit young people to take further driving training after they have passed their tests. That is one of the things that we are looking at.

What are the challenges on the road for young people? There is peer pressure, drug and alcohol use, and mobile phone use, but sometimes road accidents are pure misfortune. The use of mobile phones while driving can cause excessive speeding, lack of concentration and ultimately distraction, leading to an increased likelihood of a crash or collision. There is the issue of young motorists travelling late at night, which the previous Government were prepared to look at, as well as excessive speed.

There is much more that can be done, especially in our schools. My key ask of the Minister is for young people to be taught the importance of road safety. Once people hit 17 and can start driving, the freedom is immense, but we must remind them of the importance of being cautious on the roads, because they can be faced with complex and dangerous situations every day. I look forward to hearing the Minister and the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire (Greg Smith), speak about their commitment to young people and to ensuring that our road safety legislation is as tight as possible.

Stourport Relief Road Fund

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 21st January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mark Garnier (Wyre Forest) (Con)]

It is a great pleasure to raise the issue of the Stourport relief road in this Adjournment debate. Madam Deputy Speaker, you will be well aware that Worcestershire is an astonishingly beautiful county, and Wyre Forest in the north of the county is a perfect example of what Worcestershire has to offer. We have the forest and the hills, not one but two Georgian towns, and the River Severn, with its astonishing valley and heritage railway.

The River Severn, the longest river in the UK, is a fabulous source not just of natural beauty but of water to the 8 million customers of Severn Trent, and it also divides Worcestershire and my constituency in two halves. Inevitably, this leads to crossing pinch points, and along the stretch of the Severn that runs through Worcestershire there are surprisingly few crossing points. The city of Worcester enjoys a number, but, to the north of Worcester, there are just four points to cross east-west before getting into Shropshire; even then, the next crossing point is in Bridgnorth, 15 miles to the north of Bewdley. Of the four bridges on the 38-mile stretch between Worcester and Bridgnorth, three were built by the Victorians and are not fit for 21st-century traffic. Just one bridge was built in the 20th century, and that is the only bridge that can really take any heavy usage.

The most recent bridge, the Bewdley bypass, was built to support the east-west traffic and relieve Bewdley of heavy congestion through the town centre, which has, for a long time, been on a major route from the midlands to Wales. However, with the incredibly welcome flood defence works going on at the moment in Bewdley, the bridge has necessarily been closed to two-way traffic, increasing the burden on other local infrastructure, and the congestion has inevitably put pressure on other crossings.

Of course, the flood defences will be completed by this summer, and normal service will resume in Bewdley. However, the problems remind us why, four or five decades ago, proposals were put forward for a relief road for the town of Stourport-on-Severn, just to the south of Bewdley. As a parliamentary candidate back in 2004, I got hold of a set of 14 proposals for road improvements for Stourport, from minor town centre improvements to the full £14 million—at the time—bypass.

It is important to remember the problem these proposals were trying to solve. Stourport has a complicated town centre, with a one-way system that everybody accepts is far from ideal. It is trying hard—and, by the way, succeeding—to be a tourist destination town, attracting a lot of people from Birmingham. Yet because of its location and layout, many of the cars in the town centre are not there to be in Stourport, but in Stourport to be on their way to somewhere else. It is important to remember that this stretch of the River Severn in Wyre Forest has a denser population than the wider rural community, with 102,000 people living in the three towns of Stourport, Bewdley and Kidderminster. As I say, it is an incredibly important conurbation in Worcestershire.

Of the 14 proposals, the most ambitious for Stourport was the most popular at the time. It proposes taking a road from the busy Stourport to Kidderminster dual carriageway, running around the town to the south using existing roads that were at the time designed to take the Stourport relief road and old railway track that had been closed under the Beeching reforms, and then crossing the River Severn heading west and landing in the cricket club, before continuing its semi-circular route to join the A451 to Dunley. It then heads off to the western part of Worcestershire and then on to Wales, providing a major route to Wales.

That was a popular proposal and it was signalled for further investigation and development. Back in 2010, the cricket club was looking for Sport England’s support but was unable to secure it due to planning blight—the prospect that at any time it may find itself bisected by the new Stourport relief road—so the proposals were shelved. Although they never disappeared, they were not moved on.

Since then, the Stourport relief road has been talked about as a lost opportunity, a myth and a piece of cultural history that a few people remember. So what has changed? What has happened since then? Why is this now something that needs reviving? I mentioned earlier that the flood defence works have temporarily brought extra pressure on Wyre Forest’s river crossings, but that will be resolved in the summer. However, the local population is due to increase significantly. Wyre Forest district council recently published its local plan, under which nearly 5,000 new homes will be built across the district. Around 1,400 of those will be in Stourport and that will, inevitably, increase pressure on local infrastructure. That is an 11% increase in housing stock across the district, and a 13% increase in Stourport itself.

The problems are more profound. To the west of Stourport, directly adjacent to the Stourport suburb of Areley Kings, is an area of beauty known as the Snipes. It is right up against Stourport, but is in Malvern Hills district council’s area. Malvern Hills district council is a multi-party coalition and it has failed to come up with a local housing plan.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I commend the hon. Gentleman for bringing this issue forward. I spoke to him beforehand to get his thoughts on what he is asking for. He is asking for what I have asked for in my town of Ballynahinch in Strangford: a road to bypass small towns so they are not decimated by through-traffic. We have been waiting for that for almost two decades. Does he agree we need to ensure the Government understand that investment in such roads will bring regeneration to small towns and can very well be a rising tide that lifts all boats?

[Mark Garnier]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. He hits the nail on the head. I will be addressing these points a little later in my speech, but if we want to generate economic growth we need to build the infrastructure first—the growth will follow.

Coming back to Stourport and what is going on in the Snipes and with Malvern Hill district councillors, a number of developers put in an application to build 500 to 1,000 houses. It was met with absolute disdain by Malvern Hills district council, Wyre Forest district council, local parish councils, town councillors, me and my hon. Friend the Member for West Worcestershire (Dame Harriett Baldwin). We all rejected it, but when it went to appeal, the Planning Inspectorate ruled that Malvern Hills district council had an unmet planning demand and accordingly granted planning permission against the wishes of literally everybody.

Through a quirk of geography, local government boundaries and poor management by politicians in Malvern Hills, Stourport will see hundreds if not thousands more homes relying on its town centre and facilities, but coming from outside the district. And it gets even worse. The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government told us that in Wyre Forest, we are to build an extra 617 new homes ever year for the next five years, putting yet more burdens on the local infrastructure. That is just Wyre Forest; the total for the whole of Worcestershire is 5,300 homes a year. Add to that 1,375 homes for Herefordshire and 1,200 for Shropshire—that is every year—and one can see how the congestion on River Severn crossing pinch points will increase significantly. A lot of that will come through the point in Worcestershire where the three counties meet.

The argument for the Stourport relief road has never been stronger. It is time to revisit what is proposed. I do not profess to be a transport infrastructure expert, and I certainly do not fully understand traffic flows, but I can understand what it is like to be stuck in a traffic jam. The current 20-year-old proposals may still be perfect, but my instinct is that we need to look again at the whole issue of traffic across the Severn in Wyre Forest, and at how traffic flows across the river.

It may be that we need to look at how to join the Bewdley bypass with a road heading south, to the west of the new, unwelcome homes in the Snipes to the west of the river, that then crosses the Severn to the south of the cricket club, joining the Worcestershire A449; or it may be that the Bewdley bypass should continue when it lands on the eastern side of the bank, as was originally envisaged, between Kidderminster and Stourport, bypassing our main town to the south-east and joining the bypass with the A451 Kidderminster Road and the A449 Worcester Road, going on through the A448 Bromsgrove Road and up to the A456 Birmingham road—all of that adding to the existing Stourport relief road and effectively joining all the major roads that serve Wyre Forest. This would deliver a comprehensive and very long-term solution.

All this is for the experts, and for the community to unite behind. I have already spoken to Marc Bayliss, the Worcestershire county council cabinet member responsible for highways and transport. He agrees that this is an opportunity, and has indicated that it will be worked up and included in plans for the county. The county council is keen to progress our local infrastructure needs, but it needs clarity. It is keen to draw up local transport plan 5, but needs guidance from the Minister’s Department on what is expected of it. My ask is for that guidance to encourage local road schemes such as the one I am suggesting, a scheme that will bring not just a relief of traffic congestion but a boost to economic prosperity of the kind that was mentioned by the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), and—this is important—for the guidance for LTP 5 to come soon.

I also ask the Minister to give clarity on funding. Of course we need funding and plenty of it—and obviously the Minister receives many demands for that—but as part of the settlement, it would be good to understand the status of the proposed reallocation of HS2 money, which was suggested by the last Government to be £209 million over the coming seven years. Additionally, we await the announcement on road investment strategy 3, which will cover the Government’s plans for the strategic road network until 2030. I understand that it has been delayed to align with the spending review, but can the Minister tell me when RIS3 will be published, and whether a Stourport relief road could be considered as part of those plans—and will she come and open the new relief road? It would be great to see her there, and I mean not just to cut a ribbon but to drive a Morgan sports car up the new road. We are extremely proud of the fact that some Morgan cars are built just down the road in Malvern, and it would be a fantastic opportunity for her to demonstrate what this Government are doing to support my constituents in Worcestershire.

The new Government are making a very big deal of economic growth, which is incredibly important—I think we would all agree that economic growth is a driver of good for our society—and that is one of the reasons they are keen to build new homes. We can argue across the Chamber on details of how to achieve growth, but the one thing on which we will surely agree is that growth is generated by investment in infrastructure. If we are to build these new, economically productive new homes, we must serve their householders with easy ways to get to work, to school, to medical services when they are needed, and to the town centres to relax and shop and enjoy their communities. The Stourport relief road is one such infrastructure development, which will not just support the town of Stourport-on-Severn and my constituency, but deliver economic growth to the wider rural west midlands. I very much look forward to hearing what the Minister has to say about my proposals.