Darlaston hopes for a delayed general election
10 Jun 09 19:15 Filed in: Business
Darlaston hopes for general election delay
TheYamYam 10 June 09
Walsall’s Tory run council has its fingers crossed that Gordon Brown waits and leads the Labour Party into a May 2010 general election - because it needs time to get the money to help create 4,500 jobs.
Regeneration chiefs in the borough are planning for a £30 million transport project to link the deprived area of Darlaston to a major regional transport route. The council is preparing a business case for Department of Transport funding to build two new roads into the deprived area. The plan will be submitted in October with a decision expected in March.
Privately regeneration chiefs are worried an autumn general election would return a Conservative government committed to cut public spending. They hope that if the scheme gets approval before an election it will help tie-in any new government to supporting the project.
A regeneration officer who did wish to be named, said; “It will make life a lot easier if the scheme get’s the go-ahead before a new government orders a possible review of major public sector projects.”
The plan would build improved links from the Black Country Route, avoiding the congestion hit junction 10 of the M6, giving easier access to Darlaston Green and the 28 acre former IMI James Bridge copper works site either side of the M6.
That site has a legacy of extensive mine workings - there are more than 250 recorded disused mine shafts - and metal contamination. It was bought by the regeneration agency, Advantage West Midlands, in 2007 and multi-million pound reclamation works are expected to start this month. AWM has awarded Morrisons Construction the pilot study in a deal worth £500,000.
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