It's often said that nothing is certain in life except death and taxes. It's pretty much true, especially in Labour's Britain of today where taxing people has become this government's favourite past time.
What's also become somewhat of a certainty is that Ipswich MP, Jack Abbott, will write something publicly he thinks is positive, pretend he's done all the work to deliver it, blame everyone else when things go wrong, and then vanish until the next time he feels the need for a local headline or two. His opinion column of last week was an example of this.
The Conservative-led county council is the only authority that has taken a serious look at the Ipswich Northern Route (INR).
We explored multiple route options, carried out a full and extensive public consultation, and ultimately had no choice but to shelve the project. Why? Because there was overwhelming public opposition along every proposed route, district councils refused to commit to the 15,000 homes needed to demonstrate economic benefit, a non-negotiable requirement for government funding, and the county council simply didn’t have the hundreds of millions required to build the road without government investment.
Jack is right to say that in July the county council backed a Labour motion to revisit the northern route, alongside other projects aimed at improving traffic flow in and around Ipswich, but he is entirely wrong to suggest nothing has happened since that vote, far from it. In reality we have been working with strategic partners to pull together the plans necessary to properly re-examine a range of solutions, including a northern route.
In October, the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce brought together political leaders, senior policy advisers, and key stakeholders for a focused discussion on how Suffolk can work collaboratively to tackle traffic challenges. The goal? To identify solutions for investigation and funding that address capacity and resilience issues on the A14 and Orwell Bridge. That meeting produced an action plan with several critical steps that must happen before we can realistically revisit potential northern route options.
Why is this important? Because building a northern route isn’t without problems or human impacts. Let’s be clear: the anguish faced by those whose homes and villages would be affected cannot be brushed aside as collateral damage for the sake of easing tailbacks or gaining political headlines. Before reopening the wounds of 2019, we need to be certain that any route has genuine political backing and the funding to make it viable. If the same blockers remain, we’ll end up with the same result as last time – and that means nothing but pain and disappointment for everyone involved.
Jack was invited to the October meeting but didn’t attend and just sent someone along to take notes. Why? I’ve no idea. What I do know is that I was there, along with other representatives from across Suffolk. Some of the discussions at that meeting needed MP involvement, and several actions were specifically assigned to MPs with support from the Chamber of Commerce. The tasks relating to the INR for Suffolk’s MPs were clear and straightforward, so I’ll summarise them here for transparency – and I’ll also write to Jack directly. I’d hate for him to miss them again.
Jack’s Ipswich Northern Route To-Do List
- Speak to the Department for Transport and confirm whether the government still requires significant housing delivery and/or match funding before considering any Ipswich Northern Route project.
- Gain district council support: Can you persuade local council leaders such as Caroline Topping, who currently oppose any route, to support a road through their districts?
- Clarify funding expectations: Will the government still demand 15% of the total cost from local councils?
In July, I made it clear that the new mayor of Norfolk and Suffolk would have a major role in delivering transport improvements with the power, mandate, and funding to unlock traffic infrastructure across Suffolk, including a possible INR. The government has just thrown all that hard work in the bin by postponing mayoral elections until 2028.
So, Jack, before you pop up in the paper to criticise the County Council again, turn up to meetings and complete your own INR to-do list first. Whilst you're at it, maybe publicly try and persuade your Prime Minister to perform yet another screeching U-turn, this time on the mayoral elections. Then we can all sit down and talk about what’s truly possible to make the biggest positive impact when it comes to the A14 – because unlike you, I want to achieve more than just headlines for the people of Ipswich.
