Keeping pressure on (From Durham Times)

Keeping pressure on

9:31am Friday 15th June 2012 in Leader By Malcolm Warne

CONCERNS about the North of England’s road connections to the rest of the country rightly continue to exercise the minds of the region’s politicians.

The inadequacies of the A1 and A66 in North Yorkshire – two critical links to the south and the west – have been well documented and the wisdom of the Government’s decision to cancel or postpone indefinitely planned improvements have been criticised.

That criticism is growing because there is a feeling that there may be, at some point in the not too distant future, a revision of the Government’s policy on public spending if the economy fails to show any signs of growth in the latter part of this year or next.

If there is a loosening of the fiscal straitjacket, public infrastructure projects are the most likely beneficiaries and that could include road schemes like the A66 and the A1.

That’s why the politicians, like the Conservatives leading the county council in North Yorkshire, who are clearly signed up to the Government’s overall economic policy, are keeping up the pressure. Joining the chorus are business leaders, represented by the North East Chamber of Commerce.

All parties recognise the liabilities that the inadequate road connections have become for the economic well-being of the North East and North Yorkshire. It is vital that these parties keep those inadequacies in the Government’s eye.