North Yorkshire Council Leaders Challenge Mayor Over A64 Dualling Omission

The leaders of North Yorkshire Council have challenged the region's Mayor over his commitment to upgrading the A64 between York and Scarborough after the project was omitted from the Government's latest road investment plan.

The long-awaited dualling of the A64 between York and Scarborough has been omitted from the Government's newly announced Road Investment Strategy.

Despite a commitment of over two billion pounds to upgrade roads across the region, the A64 scheme was not included in the plans for the next five years, nor has it been identified as a pipeline project for future development.

At a meeting of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority on Friday, North Yorkshire Council leaders challenged the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, over his commitment to the project.

The route is widely regarded as a vital strategic corridor linking York to the East Coast. A recent North Yorkshire Council report highlighted that the existing road is a major source of congestion and safety concerns, particularly during peak travel times and holiday periods when traffic merges from dual to a single lane.

Instead of new construction on the A64, the Government is focusing heavily on maintaining the existing network. National Highways previously found that emerging options for the upgrade were high in cost and assessed as having low value for money.

North Yorkshire Council leader, Councillor Carl Les, questioned the Mayor on how local leaders should respond to the setback.

Councillor Carl Les said:

"I think it's going backwards. It hasn't even stalled, it's actually going backwards. And once again we'll have a disappointment.

The suggestion from the minister is that local leaders are going to get together to talk about it. I think that's you and me, and possibly Claire for that bit of the A64 around Hopgrove.

And I just wonder how are we going to do that? Have you got some thoughts about that?"

Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, said:

"Yes, obviously the announcement is only this past few days or so, so we really need to sit down and have that conversation to really understand what these feasible opportunities are moving forward because the price tag is through the roof currently and we need to work out the best way to see some improvements."

North Yorkshire Council's deputy leader, Councillor Gareth Dadd, pressed the Mayor for a firm commitment to the region, specifically mentioning Scarborough and the wider coast.

Councillor Gareth Dadd said:

"I just wouldn't want the public to be under the impression, and I'm sure it wasn't intended by yourself, that you have given up on the A64 dualling. Because we all know that the key to success on the coast is connectivity.

And I hear what you say that we've got to look at a short, medium-term plan. But can you make a clear statement, please, that you haven't given up on the East Coast and Scarborough, and by not giving up on that, you will put your shoulder to the wheel and still pursue dualling and funding for the A64.

We know it's a big disappointment and it has been by previous governments as well, so it's not a tribal point I'm making, but I think the power of your office still will hold some strength."

The Mayor responded by highlighting the need to look at alternative transport solutions alongside the campaign for the A64.

Mayor David Skaith said:

"As I've said always from the start, if we had the money to do it, we would do it tomorrow. And we will keep pushing it, obviously. But my priority is to have a plan that can be delivered. On the A64, it's been bandied around I think for many decades.

Yes, we will keep pushing for it, but we can't just keep waiting and waiting for something that might happen eventually. Which is why we need to push with government obviously on that, but also how we can develop with other forms of transport to be able to improve connectivity over to the coast. And there has to be more than one way of doing that.

If we just wait for the dualling of the A64, we'll be waiting for a long time. So we need to make sure that we are developing everything else at the same time, as we have always done."

The lack of a committed upgrade leaves local leaders and residents waiting for a solution to the route's long-standing congestion issues, which are seen as a barrier to investment and regional economic growth.

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