Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the transport infrastructure needs of South Northamptonshire in the context of (a) the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor and (b) the aims of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Oxford-Cambridge (OxCam) Growth Corridor has been identified as a key priority for this Government with South Northamptonshire included within this corridor. Lord Vallance, appointed as the OxCam Champion, is exploring options for how best to deliver economic growth across the whole corridor, which includes considering improved transport infrastructure for the area.
South Northamptonshire’s strengths in Advanced Manufacturing, particularly around the Silverstone Technology Cluster also means it stands to benefit from measures set out in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure effective coordination between (a) statutory bodies, (b) water companies, (c) HS2 Ltd and (d) local authorities to help reduce disruption when (i) planning and (ii) implementing road closures.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Sections 59 and 60 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 places a duty on local highway authorities and statutory undertakers (including water companies) to co-ordinate works in order minimise inconvenience for road users and for safety. This is supported by the Code of Practice for the Co-ordination of Street and Road Works produced by my Department to ensure that, although there will always be some disruption from road and street works, these are minimised. Where road closures are unavoidable as part of construction of HS2, contractors work closely with relevant local highway authorities to minimise disruption to local communities.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many public electric charging vehicle points there are in South Northamptonshire.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of 1st April 2025, there were 112 public electric vehicle charging devices in the South Northamptonshire constituency.
Data on public electric vehicle charging devices in the UK are held by the Department for Transport, and are sourced from the electric vehicle charging platform Zapmap. Charging devices not recorded on Zapmap are not included and the true number of charging devices may be slightly higher than recorded in these figures.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to improve road safety on the A5 in South Northamptonshire.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government takes road safety very seriously and reducing those killed and injured on our roads is a key priority. National Highways is currently progressing a safety study on the A5 in South Northamptonshire. The study covers the stretch of the A5 from A508 Roundabout in Stony Stratford to Fosters Booth Junction. Work is funded for the study and early feasibility design phase within the 2025/26 financial year. Funding for the detailed design and on-site implementation would be considered as part of planning the next Road Investment Period.
For the A43, a further three studies are being carried out during the 2025/26 financial year. If a cost-effective improvement that reduces injury collisions is deemed feasible at these sites, funding to deliver the interventions would also be considered as part of setting the next Road Investment Period.
The three study locations are as follows:
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve road safety on the A43 in South Northamptonshire.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government takes road safety very seriously and reducing those killed and injured on our roads is a key priority. National Highways is currently progressing a safety study on the A5 in South Northamptonshire. The study covers the stretch of the A5 from A508 Roundabout in Stony Stratford to Fosters Booth Junction. Work is funded for the study and early feasibility design phase within the 2025/26 financial year. Funding for the detailed design and on-site implementation would be considered as part of planning the next Road Investment Period.
For the A43, a further three studies are being carried out during the 2025/26 financial year. If a cost-effective improvement that reduces injury collisions is deemed feasible at these sites, funding to deliver the interventions would also be considered as part of setting the next Road Investment Period.
The three study locations are as follows:
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve rural bus services in South Northamptonshire.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England, including in rural areas in South Northamptonshire.
In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country, of which North Northamptonshire Council and West Northamptonshire Council have been allocated £5.2 million and £5.4 million respectively. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to provide additional funding to support community transport services in market towns and villages in South Northamptonshire constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the vital role community transport operators play in connecting people with their communities, enabling access to employment, education, and other essential services such as healthcare.
The Department makes available up to £3.8 million each year through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) to community transport operators. An uplift of 60% has been added to BSOG claims for community transport operators until 31 March 2026. This means community transport operators will receive £1.60 for every £1 claimed, reflecting the increased costs faced by the sector.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislative proposals to recognise development of diabetes (a) care and (b) management for drivers with group 2 licences.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on driving and diabetes mellitus, has recommended that continuous or flash glucose monitoring systems, may be used to monitor glucose for the purpose of driving.
Following a consultation with stakeholders in 2018, it was decided that the testing of interstitial fluid can be permitted for driving licensing purposes for people with diabetes and Group 1 licences (cars or motorcycles).
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is in the process of assessing the potential merits of introducing legislative proposals to extend the use of this technology to Group 2 licences (bus and lorry drivers) with diabetes. A targeted consultation was launched on 18 November 2024 and will run for a period of four weeks.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans that HS2 Limited will offer land subject to a Compulsory Purchase Order that has not been used by the project back to its previous owner under the Crichel Down rules.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Land and property assets that have been acquired for HS2 via Compulsory Purchase Order or Statutory Blight, and that are no longer required, will be sold subject to the Crichel Down Rules.
These require Government departments, under certain circumstances, to offer back surplus land to the former owner or the former owner’s successors at the current market value.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to require local consultation for event traffic road closures.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As she/the Honourable Member will appreciate, this Government is still in its early stages, and is carefully considering next steps in this policy area.