Local MP Caroline Dinenage met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond yesterday, to call for government funding to complete the Stubbington Bypass and Bus Rapid Transit scheme
Having met with the former Chancellor George Osborne last year, Caroline helped to secure the funding necessary to carry out the preliminary work on the Stubbington bypass . The Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has now submitted its Regional Growth Fund (round 3) bid to Government, seeking funds to complete both the Stubbington Bypass and BRT on the grounds that the better peninsular access is utterly essential for addressing Gosport's congestion problems.
Earlier this summer, Hampshire County Council agreed to contribute £8.5m to the bypass project, 25% of total expected cost, which will be paid back through business rates from the Daedalus Enterprise Zone. The Government should make a decision on whether to fund the rest of the project in the Autumn.
Speaking after the meeting, Caroline said:
"I was pleased to meet with the Chancellor today to make my clear case for why we need central government funding for both the Stubbington Bypass and BRT. For too long our local area has suffered from underinvestment in infrastructure and these projects are an important part of the solution to our traffic problems. The Government should make a decision in Autumn and I will continue to make the case for investment in the Gosport constituency."
Earlier in the week, Caroline also met with the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling and the Local Growth Minister, Andrew Percy to raise local traffic problems and request that the Government correct the historic lack of investment in infrastructure in the Gosport constituency.
