Following the recent announcement by Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, that a newly elected Conservative Government would carry out a review of the plans for an Oxford Cambridge Expressway, the Parish Council contacted the prospective candidates for the Buckingham constituency to make clear our opposition to the proposals and ascertain their own position.
Greg Smith (Conservative)
“I have already shifted my party’s policy on this. One of the first things I did as the newly selected Conservative candidate for Buckingham was to take the case against the Expressway (and HS2) to the Transport Secretary. Two weeks ago, Grant Shapps visited Buckingham to say he had listened to the case I made and that he no longer believes the case for the Expressway road adds up, promising a priority review by the Conservatives if we are successful in the General Election. Critically, I believe the project to be totally over, given Grant’s clear undertaking that a Conservative Government would deliver East-West Rail and improvements to our existing roads instead. I am very proud to have been able to shift my party’s policy on this matter as just a candidate - and if elected will ensure the project is formally dropped as quickly as possible.”
David Morgan (Labour)
“A Labour Government will cancel The Expressway. No ifs, no buts, no ‘Reviews’. We will cancel the Expressway, and we will tackle the causes of projects like the Expressway. Our Manifesto proposes returning power to local authorities. We need to move away from developer-led housing projects that are about short-term profit-making, to long-term planning of affordable housing that meet the communities' needs.”
We have not managed to find out the formal position of the other parties but our understanding is as follows:
BREXIT – will support the scheme
Green Party – will cancel the scheme
Lib Dems – will carry out formal consultation.
For the moment, the PC will continue to articulate our community’s opposition to the plans for the Expressway and the associated housing development.
