Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lilian Greenwood and Jacob Collier

Thursday 12th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Lilian Greenwood]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to advocate on behalf of her constituents living in South Yorkshire. It is almost as if the Conservatives have forgotten that they oversaw 300 million miles of bus route cuts. I am sure that the Minister with responsibility for buses, my hon. Friend the Member for Wakefield and Rothwell (Simon Lightwood), would be happy to meet her to discuss further the plans that she is working on with the South Yorkshire Mayor.

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

9. What steps she is taking to support road users.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)]

This Government understand the vital importance of our roads to people up and down the country each and every day, and we are backing our groundbreaking ambition with record investment. Last month, we published the first road safety strategy in over a decade, setting out our plans to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads by 65% over the next decade. We are investing £24 billion over the next four years in improving the condition of England’s roads and delivering safer and more reliable journeys.

[Jacob Collier]

In a recent incident at Uttoxeter’s McDonald’s roundabout, a car lost control and ploughed into the restaurant seating area. It is a miracle that no one was injured or killed. That is a collision hotspot, and the incident presents further evidence that the A50 needs to be urgently upgraded. I hope that there will be good news in RIS3—the third road investment strategy. What steps is the Minister taking to make roundabouts and roads like the A50 safer?

[Lilian Greenwood]

I am sorry to hear about that incident. I share my hon. Friend’s relief that no one was injured. As he knows, improvements to junctions across the A50 corridor in Staffordshire are being considered as part of the pipeline of potential future major enhancements to the strategic road network. He is undoubtedly the A50’s greatest champion, and he will not have long to wait for news, as we will say more when RIS3 is published next month.

Road Safety Strategy

Debate between Lilian Greenwood and Jacob Collier

Thursday 8th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Lilian Greenwood]

The right hon. Member is right that many young drivers will seek lower insurance as a result of having a black box in their car. That issue was considered as part of Driver2020 and research carried out by the previous Government. The results from that were not conclusive in suggesting that such a measure would make a difference, but I remain open to being evidence-led, and if further information comes forward, we would be happy to consider those issues.

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

I recognise the Minister’s dedication to this issue over many years, and I am glad that today she is in a position to introduce this strategy, which rightly focuses on reducing death and injury on our roads. We all know of places in our communities that are accident or speeding hotspots, where it is only a matter of time before something happens, yet too often safety improvements follow only when there has been a serious injury or a fatality. That mentality has to change. How will this strategy give communities the power to take action before it is too late?

[Lilian Greenwood]

I thank my hon. Friend for his support. Clearly, local authorities can and should draw on historical collision data when assessing road safety measures, but proactive measures to reduce risks should not be contingent on a fatal or serious incident occurring. Local authorities have the power and the funding to carry out interventions, so it is vital that they listen to the concerns of local people and act to prevent serious incidents before they occur, rather than just responding to them afterwards.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lilian Greenwood and Jacob Collier

Thursday 9th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lilian Greenwood]

Absolutely. There can be legitimate reasons why works are sometimes left unoccupied—for example, when they are waiting for materials to cure or gas to vent—but I take the hon. Member’s point, particularly where utilities are using emergency procedures unnecessarily. We have examined Street Manager data and spoken to industry representatives and found no evidence of misuse. None the less, given the number of urgent works—which are, of course, not unrelated to the appalling state of our roads left by the previous Government—we will see what more can be done to ensure that these works are managed and communicated to road users properly.

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

Roadworks plague my constituency. A significant issue is that utility companies dig up the roads without requiring council permission, and they often leave these sites incomplete while different teams carry out their work, causing chaos and congestion in the process. We frequently face the absurd situation where there are roadworks on diversion routes for roadworks. Does the Minister agree that we need to require utility companies to co-ordinate with councils to properly plan this maintenance work and complete their projects in a timely manner, in order to avoid congestion?

[Lilian Greenwood]

My hon. Friend is proving a great champion for road users in his constituency. The simple answer to his question is yes. Local authorities already have a legal duty to co-ordinate all works on their network, and utility companies have a duty to co-operate, and we will ensure that they do so.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lilian Greenwood and Jacob Collier

Thursday 21st November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

T9.   Branston bridge in my constituency, a main route in and out of Burton and Branston, is falling down. It was confirmed yesterday that it will be closed to vehicles for safety reasons, which is causing significant distress to residents, local businesses and commuters. Will the Minister work further with me and others so that we can solve this problem?

[Lilian Greenwood]

Of course, I recognise that Branston bridge is a vital part of Staffordshire county council’s road network, linking communities and businesses in my hon. Friend’s constituency. In addition to the £500 million of maintenance funding that the Chancellor announced in the Budget, there is also £650 million of transport funding outside city regions next year. Full detail on how that funding will be allocated will be confirmed in due course.