Leader of Lincolnshire County Council ‘excited’ by Boston and Skegness MP Richard Tice’s proposals to dual A16
The leader of Lincolnshire County Council says he is ‘excited’ to look at proposals to improve transport in the area put forward by Richard Tice MP.
The deputy leader of Reform UK outlined a vision for a Boston Bypass, dualling the A16 between the town and Peterborough - which would take in Spalding - along with improving rail links during a press conference earlier today (Tuesday, June 17).
His proposals have been praised by fellow Reform member, Coun Sean Matthews, who is the leader of the county council.
Coun Matthews said: “It's great to see an MP like Richard, who really does care so passionately about his constituents, championing this plan for Boston.
"This is clearly something that really matters to local residents too, and would have huge benefits for Lincolnshire as a whole. I’m excited to look into the proposals in detail and see how this develops.
"At Lincolnshire County Council, we want to save as much money as we can, and make sure it is spent on things residents truly care about, including better roads.
"With Richard fighting for his communities in this way, it’s now down to Government to understand the needs for better infrastructure in Lincolnshire - and we’ll support Richard and Andrea to encourage them to take this as seriously as we do."
These latest proposals from the party come weeks after they promised to speed up a solution to the embarrassing ‘bridge to nowhere’ saga of Spalding Western Relief Road.
The relief road - which is due to link up the Enterprise Way industrial estate on the outskirts of Pinchbeck with Spalding Common - was mothballed by the previous Conservative administration. Cash earmarked for this project was diverted in 2023 to fund the rising costs of other projects.
Work on the northern section including the £7million bridge over the railway line, a five arm roundabout and a small section of the road was completed last year.
The road has now been blocked off and is unlikely to be open for a decade.
Spalding councillor Coun Rob Gibson, recently appointed deputy leader of the county council, has long spoken out about the project.
Ahead of the May local elections, he appeared with now-Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire Andrea Jenkyns in a promotional video near the relief road, arguing the project needs an "awful lot of money," which remains unallocated.
Earlier this month he said: “We have to see what the future could be for that.”
Now in a position of power, he added: “One of the first things we’re doing is looking at all of the county’s road projects with a fresh set of eyes.
“Leaving a road half-built isn’t acceptable, and waiting years and years to finish a project as important as the Spalding Western Relief Road is frustrating and unfair to local people.
“We’re going to work with the new combined authority to see what can be done to move this scheme along faster so that this issue is addressed.”
The county council has recently completed £20million worth of improvements to the A16 including the McDonald’s, Greencell and Spirit of Endeavour roundabouts.