Labour’s decision to cancel the A12 widening was bad enough. Now we know the bill for that choice.
More than £212 million of taxpayers’ money has been wasted after Labour scrapped a scheme that had planning permission, survived legal challenge and was fully funded under the last Conservative Government.
That is an appalling waste of public money — and an even bigger blow to Essex.
The A12 is vital to Essex
The A12 is one of our county’s most important economic arteries, connecting communities and businesses across Essex and providing a crucial route towards London and the rest of the country.
Anyone who regularly uses it already knows the consequences when the road cannot cope with demand.
Cancelling its upgrade means more congestion and longer journeys, but the consequences go much further than that. It risks fewer jobs, less investment and slower economic growth — not just for Essex, but for the wider UK economy.
More homes without the infrastructure
What makes this decision even harder to justify is that Labour is simultaneously demanding that thousands more homes are built across Essex.
New homes need to be supported by new infrastructure.
You cannot continually increase the demands placed on our communities while cancelling the roads and transport improvements needed to make that growth sustainable.
Essex should not be expected to accommodate more homes, more businesses and a growing population without serious investment in the infrastructure to support them.
Growth requires investment
Growth does not happen through ministerial press releases or government soundbites. It depends on roads, rail and infrastructure that allow people, businesses and goods to move efficiently.
Labour talks about growth, but decisions like cancelling the A12 widening are holding Essex back.
You cannot ask communities to deliver more homes, more businesses and more opportunity while walking away from the investment that makes that growth possible.
Essex needs the infrastructure to grow — and the Government should reconsider its decision on the A12.