Bradley Thomas MP is demanding answers from Worcestershire County Council about potential financial penalties after their A38 Bromsgrove Route Enhancement Programme (BREP) is delayed once again.
It follows the update the local MP secured from the County Council as he continues to hold them to account over their BREP project.
The County Council recently confirmed to Bradley that BREP’s overall completion date has been officially delayed for a second time.
Residents and businesses were first told BREP would be completed by December 2025 or early 2026. This was then pushed back to December 2026 and now the County Council has said the project won’t be completed until spring 2027.
In light of this further delay, Bradley has written to Cllr Tom Wells, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways and Transport, to ask what penalties the contractor will face as a result of this second delay.
In his letter, the local MP has asked the Cabinet Member to set out what, if any, penalties the contractor will face for the two official delays to the overall completion date for BREP.
Bradley has also asked Cllr Wells to be transparent about how much this further delay has cost the County Council, how much it has added to the total cost of this project and whether or not the contractor will foot the bill rather than taxpayers.
Bradley said: “This is the second time BREP’s completion date has been officially delayed. Residents simply do not believe the County Council anymore.
“BREP, coupled with the non-essential roadworks across Bromsgrove, are pushing residents and businesses to breaking point.
“Taxpayers money is being used to fund this project and there must be consequences when BREP continues to blight the lives of local residents and businesses.
“I’m therefore seeking answers from the County Council as I continue to hold them to account over their BREP project. They must pull out all the stops to get BREP done as soon as possible and ensure there are financial consequences for the constant delays.”
