By Tom Lowe2021-01-07T06:00:00+00:00
Tory MP tells select committee local sherrifs needed to hold building firms to account
Campaigners have called for the appointment of local sheriffs to keep a grip on HS2 contractors after works for the £100bn railway were accused of creating “complete chaos” in rural communities.
Conservative MP for Buckingham Greg Smith, through whose constituency HS2 runs, told a parliamentary select committee that he wanted to see a localised sheriff in each area of the railway’s route from London to Crewe who “actually has teeth” to hold the project’s contractors to account.
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Major road improvements are set to get underway in the New Year, it has been announced. The work by Hampshire County Council is the first stage of a project to create the Botley Bypass . This first phase of bypass works will provide a widened carriageway, as well as a shared footway/cycleway along Woodhouse Lane. It will also support the Woodhouse Lane development to the west and provide improved access to the new Deer Park School. The appointed contractor Volker Fitzpatrick will start work in early January 2021 on the bypass scheme, which once complete, is expected to remove significant amounts of traffic from the village, improve air quality, reduce noise and improve the village centre environment.