Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 17 Mar 2026 Rural Roads
"I beg to move,
That this House has considered the condition of roads in rural areas.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer, especially on a topic as important as road conditions in rural areas such as South Shropshire. We will all know that there is …..." Stuart Anderson - View Speech
"The hon. Member raises a very good point. I will come on to the preventive measures and what can actually be returned to the economy to help the Department fix this major issue.
Potholes are one of the biggest issues raised with me since I have been an MP, and …..." Stuart Anderson - View Speech
"I do. My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. There is more money being spent by councils than it costs to fix the roads. I will come on to that in detail in a minute. These are serious issues. I have one constituent that people have stopped visiting because their …..." Stuart Anderson - View Speech
"We see that across South Shropshire. My hon. Friend’s mother-in-law is a lovely lady and I was delighted to meet her the other week—I get a few points for that. We are finding that Shropshire council is putting cones in the potholes, because they are that big, or putting up …..." Stuart Anderson - View Speech
"The hon. Gentleman makes an excellent point. There is not one specific issue here; there are multiple issues, as I will come to.
Constituents have talked about the road just outside Ackleton. They tell me it is like driving in a third-world country. A local resident, Barry, commented to me, …..." Stuart Anderson - View Speech
"I do. The hon. Member raises a really good point. This is not just about a pothole in the road; it is about the impact on people’s lives and businesses.
That leads me on very nicely to my next point. This is not just about car damage; it is about …..." Stuart Anderson - View Speech
"I thank the hon. Member for raising an important point. Between us, we are starting to see that we can deal with this issue in multiple ways, and I really hope the Minister will take them on board.
"I thank my hon. Friend for raising that excellent point. We have to look at rural counties, which are not being given the fair consideration that they need. The Government are currently holding back almost £46 million, I believe, from Lib Dem-run Shropshire council, because it has not met their …..." Stuart Anderson - View Speech
"Thank you, Mr Stringer; you raise a brilliant point.
Before I conclude, I would like the Minister to address the support or approval that local councils need for community action to go ahead to help parish councils to fix certain areas, as they have in Devon.