It’s good to see Jesse Norman MP challenging so strongly his Conservative-led council’s case for the Hereford Southern Link Road (news report and editorial January 14).

He repeats all the arguments that It’s Our County has been making for several years, in particular for the obvious greater benefits to the Enterprise Zone, and to dealing with traffic problems in the city, of a much more cost-effective eastern river crossing and link. And indeed this is the preferred option of Hereford City Council which represents the majority of the population most directly affected.

Mr Norman is also right to highlight the Department for Transport and Highways England requirements that the building of new roads will “only be justified in policy terms when other avenues such as travel planning and sustainable transport modes had been developed and shown not to address the transport needs and issues identified.” The South Wye Transport Package includes those “other avenues” and It’s Our County has always supported the proper implementation of sustainable transport measures as the policy priority.

Contrary to what the public and councillors have often been told, the £27 million for the cost of the Southern Link Road is conditional on a full and convincing business case which is yet to be made. Readers may like to note that more than half of the budget for repair of our A and B roads has been diverted to pay for consultants to try to build that case. The £27 million, provisionally allocated to the Local Enterprise Partnership, can – as Mr Norman also confirms – be re-directed to a more cost-effective scheme: all that’s needed is a change of mind. We believe that the sustainable transport measures for South Wye and the Eastern Link would all be affordable within that £27 million, and that a stronger business case for these can easily be made.

It’s Our County also consistently promotes the need for the whole county, not just the city, to be included in balanced plans for economic and employment development: for example Ledbury and Ross already have excellent connectivity to wider markets and population centres.

When will this council administration listen to the voices of common sense including from its own local MP, and have the courage to change its mind on the ‘road to nowhere’ that is the Southern Link Road?

Cllr Anthony Powers Group Leader, It’s Our County