Prime Minister Andy Burnham has indicated he is willing to explore a revived plan to dual the A1 in Northumberland, promising to work with North East mayor Kim McGuinness to find an “alternative way” to fund the upgrade.
During his first visit to the North East since entering Downing Street, Mr Burnham said he would not “conveniently forget” the long-debated safety problems on the notorious road. The pledge came after campaigners urged him to commit to dualling the A1 through Northumberland, where much of the route north of Morpeth is reduced to a single carriageway.
Renewed urgency after fatal crashes
A recent spate of tragedies, with six people killed in three separate accidents in May and June, has sparked renewed efforts to have the A1 dualled all the way to the Scottish border. Plans to dual 13 miles of the A1 from Morpeth to Ellingham were dropped by Labour in 2024, amid claims that the project did not provide value for money.
Mr Burnham appeared open to revisiting the scheme when he spoke in Newcastle on Wednesday. He said: “I am one of those who comes up here a lot. I would be the first to say that the infrastructure that people have here is not fair in terms of the lack of transport infrastructure.”
Prime Minister’s commitment
Mr Burnham added: “The A1 is an issue that I am not going to conveniently forget because I am now in the position I am in. I have said to Kim we will make devolution work in a way that is right for people in the North East, there is more power coming to the North East of England, that is a commitment and No 10 North will be driving these changes with Kim. For instance, on that issue, looking to see if there is an alternative way we can put a funding package together.”
Ms McGuinness, who joined the Prime Minister on his visit to homelessness charity Changing Lives in Elswick, said there were now “encouraging noises” from Mr Burnham’s administration about the A1 following intense cross-party lobbying from local leaders.
Local leaders push for action
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I am like a broken record on the A1. I have told everybody who will listen that it needs to be dualled – and dualled with urgency. The previous government left us in a position where they had made a promise and not funded it. That is really difficult when people just want to see that road, which is becoming a national embarrassment and is becoming dangerous, dealt with.”
“When the new Prime Minister came in, I have been really clear that this has got to be a priority for the region. He has encouraged us to put the case forward and make sure it is part of the plans for the North East that we will put in front of government. We are hearing encouraging noises coming out of government and I am going to get on with that urgently because it needs to happen.”
On Tuesday, Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson had written to Mr Burnham about the A1, telling him that some £68.4 million had already been spent on dualling preparations before the project was cancelled. The Conservative councillor added: “For us, this feels like we are stuck in a 'value for money' loop whereby much-needed investment in national infrastructure for the North will always come second to projects in the South. As former Mayor of Greater Manchester, I expect you are familiar with that frustration.”
“Also, whilst National Highways are planning to implement local safety schemes, these will not address fully the issues of overcapacity and lack of dual carriageway. I do wonder what value is placed in 'vfm' calculations on safety, lives and blight in communities.” Coun Sanderson described the A1 as “both a danger to life and a brake on our economic potential”.
