No money left to finish road connecting £50m ‘bridge to nowhere', Lincolnshire council admits
A UK council that spent £50 million building a ' bridge to nowhere' has admitted that it cannot afford to complete the project without external funding.
Lincolnshire County Council finished building the bridge last year as part of a £110 million project to ease traffic on the A16 route around the west side of Spalding.
On Monday (June 2), the council confirmed that £33 million was missing from the budget to complete the connecting 6.5km sections of the Spalding Western Relief Road.
Original plans for the project, which started construction in 2022, proposed a '7.3m-wide single carriage road in five sections'.
The council budget for 2025 to 2026 allocated £27.7 million in funding towards finishing the southern section of the road.
Estimated costs to complete this section of the relief road are between £50 million and £60 million.
According to the council website, no funding has been identified for the southern or middle sections of the relief road.
'Contributions from developers are expected to be the primary source of funding for both,' it adds.
Aerial pictures show the route comes to a quick stop at the end of the completed bridge.
The project is not expected to be finished until at least 2030 as the council looks to secure funding.
A spokesperson for the council's highways department said: 'Construction of the north section of the Spalding Western Relief Road was completed in October 2024.
'In the approved 2025/26 council budget, there is currently £27.7m earmarked towards building the southern section of the Spalding Western Relief Road in the future. However, the current estimated cost of building this section is between £50-60 million, which means external funding will be needed. That is why we are continuing to work closely with South Holland District Council to identify funding opportunities, including remaining in touch with Homes England.
'In addition, no funding has yet been allocated or secured for the middle sections of the relief road as these are intended to be built in the long-term, as outlined in the South East Lincolnshire Local Plan.'
The council added that the northern section of the relief road had opened up land allocated for an initial 1,100 homes as outlined in the South East Lincolnshire Local Plan.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
7 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Farage plans to charge non-doms £250,000 fee which will be given to poor
On Monday, the party leader and MP for Clacton will reveal the policy which he said would 'encourage the return of wealth and talent to the United Kingdom', according to the Telegraph. The Labour Government abolished the non-dom tax status in April, which is where UK residents whose permanent home or domicile for tax purposes is outside the UK. Last year, former Conservative chancellor Jeremy Hunt revealed plans to scrap the tax status before successor Rachel Reeves sped up the process. Reform UK's policy would mean 'every high-net-worth newcoming (or returning leaver)' would pay a £250,000 one-off fee 'in return for a stable, indefinite remittance-style regime on offshore income and a 20-year inheritance-tax shield', Mr Farage wrote in an article for the Telegraph. All of this fee would be given to Britain's lowest-paid full-time workers through an automatic tax-free dividend via HMRC, the party leader added. In response, Labour said the policy was a 'golden ticket for foreign billionaires to avoid the tax they owe in this country'. Mr Farage wrote: 'Our policy is simple – Britain must be a place where success is celebrated, not punished with excessive taxes, crippling energy costs, or punitive inheritance levies. 'We will actively encourage the return of wealth and talent to the United Kingdom, on the clear condition that those who come here deliver immediate, visible benefits to our workers.' The plan would mean around 2.5 million 'hard-working Britons' would receive an 'annual cash bonus', the Reform UK leader claimed. He added: 'Our policy is not a 'golden visa' or a backdoor to citizenship. 'It is a one-time flat tax paid by newcomers in exchange for the certainty of a favourable tax status. 'Individuals will still be liable for all standard UK taxes on UK-sourced income, property and spending. 'But they won't be taxed on offshore income and gains for the duration of their agreed status.' A Labour spokesperson said: 'Nigel Farage can brand this whatever he wants – the reality is his first proper policy is a golden ticket for foreign billionaires to avoid the tax they owe in this country. 'As ever with Reform, the devil is in the detail. 'This giveaway would reduce revenues raised from the rich that would have to be made up elsewhere – through tax hikes on working families or through Farage's promise to charge them to use the NHS.'
Glasgow Times
21 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Farage plans to charge non-doms £250,000 fee which will be given to poor
On Monday, the party leader and MP for Clacton will reveal the policy which he said would 'encourage the return of wealth and talent to the United Kingdom', according to the Telegraph. The Labour Government abolished the non-dom tax status in April, which is where UK residents whose permanent home or domicile for tax purposes is outside the UK. Last year, former Conservative chancellor Jeremy Hunt revealed plans to scrap the tax status before successor Rachel Reeves sped up the process. Reform UK's policy would mean 'every high-net-worth newcoming (or returning leaver)' would pay a £250,000 one-off fee 'in return for a stable, indefinite remittance-style regime on offshore income and a 20-year inheritance-tax shield', Mr Farage wrote in an article for the Telegraph. All of this fee would be given to Britain's lowest-paid full-time workers through an automatic tax-free dividend via HMRC, the party leader added. In response, Labour said the policy was a 'golden ticket for foreign billionaires to avoid the tax they owe in this country'. Mr Farage wrote: 'Our policy is simple – Britain must be a place where success is celebrated, not punished with excessive taxes, crippling energy costs, or punitive inheritance levies. 'We will actively encourage the return of wealth and talent to the United Kingdom, on the clear condition that those who come here deliver immediate, visible benefits to our workers.' The plan would mean around 2.5 million 'hard-working Britons' would receive an 'annual cash bonus', the Reform UK leader claimed. He added: 'Our policy is not a 'golden visa' or a backdoor to citizenship. 'It is a one-time flat tax paid by newcomers in exchange for the certainty of a favourable tax status. 'Individuals will still be liable for all standard UK taxes on UK-sourced income, property and spending. 'But they won't be taxed on offshore income and gains for the duration of their agreed status.' A Labour spokesperson said: 'Nigel Farage can brand this whatever he wants – the reality is his first proper policy is a golden ticket for foreign billionaires to avoid the tax they owe in this country. 'As ever with Reform, the devil is in the detail. 'This giveaway would reduce revenues raised from the rich that would have to be made up elsewhere – through tax hikes on working families or through Farage's promise to charge them to use the NHS.'
The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
Fury as woke council ‘bans fun' by scrapping popular airshow despite it making £60 MILLION for local economy
A WOKE council blamed climate change as it axed a popular air show despite it making £60million for the local economy. The four-day Bournemouth Air Festival, featuring the Red Arrows, has run for 16 years and attracts 600,000 fans. 2 2 But the cash-strapped local authority said it cannot afford £250,000 to stage it and also cited the carbon emissions the planes and the extra traffic produce as a reason for stopping it. Bosses at the Lib Dem -run council, which has just hired a new chief executive on a salary of £220,000, are accused of being killjoys and lacking ambition. Conservative councillor Phil Broadhead said: 'Saying we don't like planes, therefore we should ban the air festival for the sake of three or four days that brings millions to the local economy is a step too far. 'On that note, we shouldn't be doing anything that generates any carbon whatsoever. 'What we are doing is banning fun.' Bournemouth Area Hospitality Association chairwoman Rosie Radwell said: 'It is a great shame because the air festival was a big boost for Bournemouth. 'It is a huge loss to the area. 'I don't think tourism is the top priority for this council.' Asked about its impact on the climate she said: 'I don't think it was as bad as they said. 'And I don't think it's as bad as they say.'
