'Over the moon' that junction upgrades are finally approved

£41M SCHEME WILL IMPROVE 'ECONOMIC VIABILITY’ OF COALFIELD COMMUNITIES

- By LAUREN MONAGHAN Local democracy reporter

A 20-YEAR campaign to help the “left behind” north Nottinghamshire coalfield communities is finally taking shape after a multi-million pound road improvement scheme was approved.

The major £41million scheme to upgrade five junctions across two roads in Nottinghamshire was announced yesterday by the East Midlands “Combined County Authority (EMCCA) after government approval.

The project forms part of the final improvements to junctions on the A6097/A614 corridor but had been delayed in recent years.

Speaking to the local democracy reporting service (LDRS), Nottinghamshire County Councillor, Bruce Laughton (Con) said he and late Labour County Councillor, Stella Smedley, first started the campaign for the improvements around 2003.

Stella Smedley served as the Ollerton and Boughton councillor on the authority for more than 37 years. She died in October 2014 and Councillor Laughton said she fought “tooth and nail” for improvements to Ollerton roundabout.

He added: “I have been to every single funding meeting on the A614 funding for the last five years. The Conservatives have been holding that department in County Hall to account constantly to keep this [campaign] on the go”