Bradley Thomas MP has branded as “lacklustre” the response from Worcestershire County Council to his letter regarding potential financial penalties after their A38 Bromsgrove Route Enhancement Programme (BREP) is delayed once again.
Earlier this month, the local MP wrote to Cllr Tom Wells, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways and Transport, to demand answers about potential financial penalties after it was announced that BREP had been delayed once again.
It follows the update Bradley 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 wrote to Cllr Wells 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 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.
Following Cllr Wells’ response, Bradley said: “What a lacklustre response from the latest Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways and Transport to my letter regarding BREP and potential penalties.
“He still hasn’t responded to my invite to come down to the Oakalls to see for himself the changes that have been made to Regents Park Road which are having a significant effect on vehicle movements in the area.
“Cllr Tom Wells should take me up on my invitation to meet with local residents.”
