Tim Farron urges Transport Secretary to grant emergency funding to repair and reopen Kendal bridges

On the floor of the House of Commons this morning, South Lakes MP Tim Farron pressed the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, to give urgent financial support to repair and reopen two bridges near Kendal.

In June, Westmorland and Furness Council closed the bridges on Brigsteer Road and Underbarrow Road due to structural safety concerns.

Speaking during Transport Questions in Parliament, Tim said: “Hundreds of local authority roads across the country include half-joint bridges built in the 1960s and 1970s that are now dangerously unsafe.

“They include the Brigsteer Road and Underbarrow Road bridges leading out of Kendal, which have been closed for the last six months, causing great inconvenience to the local community. 

“They were built with Government funding 50 or 60 years ago, but local councils are unable to replace them with the funds available to them now. 

“Will the Secretary of State meet representatives of Westmorland and Furness Council as a matter of urgency, so that the bridges can be reopened and our communities can be reconnected quickly?”

Responding, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “I will ask my colleague the Minister for the Future of Roads to have that meeting with the council. However, the additional money that we have provided, and the individual allocations that were announced before Christmas, can be used not just for road maintenance, but for bridges and pavements.”

Tim is also running a petition to the Department for Transport which can be found here.