Greater Lincolnshire Mayor Andrea Jenkyns reacts to Boston and Skegness MP Richard Tice’s £495 million transport vision

The mayor of Greater Lincolnshire has vowed it's time to 'get Lincolnshire moving forward' and praised a new £495 million transport vision.

Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who chairs the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority, has responded to her Reform UK colleague Richard Tice’s plans to improve transport and connectivity in Boston and south Lincolnshire.

Speaking at a conference titled Get Boston Moving at Boston Rugby Club on Tuesday (June 17), Mr Tice pitched ideas including a bypass around Boston, dualling the A16 between Boston and Peterborough, and a series of local rail improvements — such as linking the town more directly to Spalding.

The MP for Boston and Skegness said Lincolnshire received “the square root of not a lot” in Rachel Reeves’ recent Spending Review, and argued that it is now south Lincolnshire’s turn for new infrastructure to tackle congestion in and around Boston — partly due to the town’s 11 road/rail crossings.

The combined cost of the proposed projects is estimated at nearly £495 million, with the bypass expected to cost £156 million and the A16 dualling about £273 million. None of the schemes currently have funding and Mr Tice hopes to produce a business case that can be used to attract the cash needed.

Ms Jenkyns raised concerns over congestion issues across the county and welcomed Mr Tice’s ambition.

She said: “Across the whole county, we have major transport and infrastructure challenges and some real congestion hotspots. That means longer journeys for residents, and delays and loss of productivity for businesses.

“It is so great to see that Richard Tice MP cares deeply about this issue and is looking at solutions to traffic problems in Boston and listening to local concerns.

“Historically, Lincolnshire has received significantly less transport funding from central government than other areas. I look forward to working with Richard and other politicians to fight for our fair share of national funding here so we can finally get Lincolnshire moving forward.”

During the conference, Mr Tice outlined a “series of steps” needed to get the projects off the ground, starting with a strategic outline business case, followed by an outline business case, and then a full business case before construction.

Mr Tice wants construction on the major projects to be completed by March 2030.