Bradley's work to hold Worcestershire County Council to account over their BREP project has made the front page of today's (August 5th) Bromsgrove Advertiser.
It follows the update the local MP secured from the County Council that "there is not a 2-year extension to the A38 Bromsgrove Route Enhancement Programme (BREP)."
After rumours emerged on social media about a two-year extension to BREP, Bradley requested an update from the project team.
However, the County Council has told Bradley that the latest programme provided by their contractor indicates that “some activities associated with Phase 3 will continue into Spring 2027.” This reflects the overall completion of BREP rather than the completion of individual schemes.
The County Council claims a number of elements will be delivered ahead of these dates, and traffic management measures will be reduced or removed as soon as it is safe and practical to do so.
In their update to Bradley, the project team said this revised programme reflects a number of ongoing challenges encountered during construction. In particular, further diversion works required of gas, water and electricity services due to inaccurate utility location records, as construction moves to different locations in Bromsgrove.
According to the County Council, these works remain largely dependent on third party providers and their statutory timelines, which affects overall sequencing and pace of delivery. The County Council claimed they are proactively working with key contacts at the utility companies to escalate and expedite works wherever possible.
The County Council added that they will continue to work closely with their contractor, Colas, to progress completion of the works in this programme as quickly as possible and to minimise further delays wherever they can.
This is why Bradley has previously called on the County Council to halt all non-essential roadworks in Bromsgrove whilst work on BREP continues.
Bradley said:
“Although I have no direct powers over the County Council, I’m continuing to hold them to account over their BREP scheme which is blighting the lives of residents and businesses.
“Whilst news that there’s not a two-year extension to the project will come as a huge relief, I know residents and businesses will be frustrated by the County Council’s latest update that the scheme now won’t be finished until spring 2027.
“I’ve previously called on the County Council to halt all non-essential roadworks in Bromsgrove whilst work on BREP continues in order to speed up completion of the project – and I do so again in light of their latest update.
“The County Council and their contractor must pull out all the stops to get BREP done as soon as possible and to get Bromsgrove moving again. It’s the very least residents and businesses deserve after everything they’ve been through.”
