MP invited new minister to come to Cumbria and visit the A590

Following the recent appointment of Stephen Hammond as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, South Lakes MP Tim Farron has invited the minister to visit Cumbria and the spot where the Greenodd roundabout will hopefully be built.

This invitation comes after former road minister Mike Penning cancelled several planned visits to Cumbria. The plans to build the roundabout had been scrapped but following a strong campaign led by local councillors Sue Sanderson, Rod Wilson and Janet Willis the former minister in June that the plans would go forward in 2013/2014, with a pledged £500,000 for the scheme.

In a letter to the new minister Stephen Hammond, Tim states that "improvements to the A590 road over the past decade have been very important economically and socially for my constituents". While there have been improvements Tim adds that "Both congestion and safety issues would be addressed by the provision of a roundabout to replace the current T-junction. There are also other dangerous points on the A590 at Haverthwaite, Levens and Witherslack for example that I would want you as minister to see so that we can take action to improve safety "

Commenting today Tim said, "For the past ten years local residents have been fighting for improvements to the A590 and have been disappointed on many occasions. A visit from the new minister would give some encouraging support to these residents. It is vital that this remains an urgent issue and we make significant progress with the plans."

In a letter to Tim Farron, Stephen Hammond said that he "appreciates the importance of this scheme to your constituents" and that he is "keen to visit South Cumbria later in the autumn."