Council issues update on bridge over river Usk at Llanfoist
But although at the point it was anticipated the crossing would be completed by December 2024 progress has stalled and there is, as yet, no crossing in place, prompting Conservative councillor for Llanfoist and Govilon, Tomos Davies, to ask for an update.
Councillor Sara Burch, the council's Labour cabinet member for rural affairs and tourism, told him at the council's April meeting: 'It's been subject to regulatory delays and to technical issues and delivering that new route across the fast-flowing river, through an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), a historic landscape was never going to be easy.
'I'm hopeful that all of those issues have been resolved and that we are ready to proceed with the project subject to receiving final confirmation of the second tranch of funding from Welsh Government.
'So, I am afraid my response has to be watch this space. We are expecting an imminent announcement from the cabinet secretary for transport and North Wales Ken Skates and as a number of us in this room have had the opportunity to bend his ear I hope we will have an announcement soon.'
A spokesman for Monmouthshire County Council said: 'We are set to provide a positive update on the scheme in the near future and remain committed to delivering this scheme.'
At the council meeting Cllr Davies had also asked for an update on the council's 'active travel' programme of walking and cycling schemes and Cllr Burch said it has had annual funding it has put to routes across Severnside and an active travel bridge across the Wye in Monmouth. She described the Llanfoist bridge, which will link the area to Castle Meadows as 'perhaps the most ambitious'.
The council, she said, has also delivered additional phases of the Williamsfield Lane Links project in Monmouth and phase one of the Caldicott links project converting the disused railway line to a pedestrian and cycling path.
Smaller scale projects have included putting in dropped kerbs and crossings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
24 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
UK working with Jordan to air drop aid into Gaza, PM tells Macron and Merz
The UK is working with Jordan on plans to air drop aid into Gaza and evacuate children needing medical assistance, Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed in a call with French and German counterparts. The Prime Minister held emergency talks with Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz on Saturday amid mounting global anger at the humanitarian conditions in the enclave. In a readout of the call, Number 10 said the leaders had agreed 'it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace'. 'The Prime Minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to air drop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance,' a Downing Street spokesperson said. However, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency warned airdrops were 'a distraction and screensmoke' that would fail to reverse deepening starvation in Gaza, and could in some cases harm civilians. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Saturday: 'A man-made hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need.' Israel said on Friday it will allow airdrops of aid by foreign countries into Gaza to alleviate starvation in the Palestinian territory, where there is widespread devastation. The readout made no mention of the issue of Palestinian statehood, which the Prime Minister has faced calls to immediately recognise after French President Mr Macron confirmed his country would do so in September. However, Downing Street said the leaders had committed to 'work closely together on a plan' to 'pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region'. Once the proposals have been 'worked up', they will seek to advance them with other key partners, including in the region, the readout said. Some 221 MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents have signed a letter pressuring the Government to follow suit at a UN meeting next week. Donald Trump suggested Mr Macron's announcement, which saw him commit to formally recognising Palestinian sovereignty at the UN General Assembly in September, 'doesn't matter' as he left the US for a visit to Scotland. Sarah Champion, the senior Labour MP who organised the letter by parliamentarians, said recognition 'would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people'. Other senior Commons figures who signed the letter include Labour select committee chairs Liam Byrne, Dame Emily Thornberry and Ruth Cadbury. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, as well as Tory former minister Kit Malthouse, and Sir Edward Leigh – Parliament's longest-serving MP – also signed it. The majority of those who have signed, 131, are Labour MPs. The Government has so far said its immediate focus is on getting aid into the territory and insisted that recognising sovereignty must be done as part of a peace process. Charities operating in Gaza have said Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing people there towards starvation, warning that they are seeing their own workers and Palestinians 'waste away'. But Mr Lazzarini said air drops can be dangerous as they can fall on top of civilians, and that being able to drive aid through is more effective and safer. 'Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians,' he said. 'It is a distraction and screensmoke.' The Prime Minister will meet the US president during his trip to Scotland, where he arrived on Friday evening. US-led peace talks in Qatar were cut short on Thursday, with Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. The deal under discussion is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Corbyn: My party might be called Your Party after all
Jeremy Corbyn has said his new political party might be called Your Party after all. The former Labour leader and Zarah Sultana, his co-founder, invited voters to sign up to their new faction via the website when it launched on Thursday. Ms Sultana then declared: 'It's not called Your Party!' in response to a post on X by the news site Politics Joe, which claimed that it was. But in an interview with Novara Media on Saturday, Mr Corbyn said: 'The working title is – it's your party. 'Now, it may not end up being the name, but it might be the name. I want ideas for the name. If you've got ideas for the name, let me know, OK?' Mr Corbyn has said that more than 300,000 people have now registered their interest in the new party, which is expected to have its founding conference this autumn. The party hopes to have the infrastructure in place to fight Sir Keir Starmer's Labour at the local elections in May 2026, which are already being viewed as a key test for the Prime Minister. Asked about his party's core message, Mr Corbyn said: 'Britain should be a voice for peace in the world, not a voice for new nuclear weapons, not a voice for war, not a voice for selling arms. 'Secondly, our country is deeply divided. The levels of poverty are getting worse and worse. We're having none of that. 'We are a community-based, grassroots united organisation determined to challenge the establishment and bring about real political change to give real hope.' When challenged on whether he wanted to be prime minister, Mr Corbyn replied: 'Listen, mate, let's see what happens.' Mr Corbyn made two failed attempts to enter Downing Street when he led Labour to losses at the 2017 and 2019 general elections, with the 2019 defeat being Labour's worst since 1935. The MP for Islington North was stripped of the Labour whip by Sir Keir, his successor, the following year after claiming that problems in Labour with anti-Semitism on his watch had been 'overstated'. He went on to win Islington North, which he has represented since 1983, as an independent candidate. Polling suggests that a party led by Mr Corbyn could command anything between 10 per cent and 18 per cent at a general election. This would deal a significant blow to Sir Keir's blow of retaining his Commons majority after a first year in power which has already seen his popularity decline rapidly. The new outfit led by Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana is likely to split the political Left in a similar way to the rise of Reform UK on the Right, which has heavily damaged the Conservatives. The Left-wing pair have said they want to set up a political party 'that belongs to you' to take on what they claim is a 'rigged' system. Their priorities already include hitting the wealthiest Britons with heavier taxes and ending all arms sales to Israel, which they have accused of committing 'genocide' against Palestinians. Labour has dismissed the prospect of the new movement, with a source saying: 'The electorate has twice given its verdict on a Jeremy Corbyn-led party.'
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
UK working with Jordan on Gaza aid drops, PM tells Macron and Merz
The Prime Minister held emergency talks with Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz on Saturday amid mounting global anger at the humanitarian conditions in the enclave. THE UK is working with Jordan on plans to air drop aid into Gaza and evacuate children needing medical assistance, Keir Starmer has confirmed in a call with French and German counterparts. In a readout of the call, Number 10 said the leaders had agreed 'it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace'. READ MORE: Keir Starmer defers recognising Palestine amid pressure from 221 MPs and Macron 'The Prime Minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to air drop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance,' a Downing Street spokesperson said. However, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency warned airdrops were 'a distraction and a smokescreen' that would fail to reverse deepening starvation in Gaza, and could "kill starving civilians". UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Twitter/X Saturday: 'A man-made hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need.' Israel said on Friday it will allow airdrops of aid by foreign countries into Gaza to alleviate starvation in the Palestinian territory, where there is widespread devastation. The readout made no mention of the issue of Palestinian statehood, which the Prime Minister has faced calls to immediately recognise after French President Macron confirmed his country would do so in September. Starmer has faced criticism for the move, with MP Zarah Sultana writing on Twitter/X that he "belongs in The Hague" over his complicity in the ongoing genocide. READ MORE: 'He belongs in The Hague': Keir Starmer fiercely criticised over Gaza speech Downing Street said the leaders had committed to 'work closely together on a plan' to 'pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region'. Once the proposals have been 'worked up', they will seek to advance them with other key partners, including in the region, the readout said. Some 221 MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents have signed a letter pressuring the Government to follow suit at a UN meeting next week. Donald Trump suggested Macron's announcement, which saw him commit to formally recognising Palestinian sovereignty at the UN General Assembly in September, 'doesn't matter' as he left the US for a visit to Scotland. Sarah Champion, the senior Labour MP who organised the letter by parliamentarians, said recognition 'would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people'. Other senior Commons figures who signed the letter include Labour select committee chairs Liam Byrne, Dame Emily Thornberry and Ruth Cadbury. Lib Dem leader Ed Davey, as well as Tory former minister Kit Malthouse, and Sir Edward Leigh – Parliament's longest-serving MP – also signed it. The majority of those who have signed, 131, are Labour MPs. The Government has so far said its immediate focus is on getting aid into the territory and insisted that recognising sovereignty must be done as part of a peace process. READ MORE: 'Not in our name': Hundreds gather in Scottish cities to protest Donald Trump Charities operating in Gaza have said Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing people there towards starvation, warning that they are seeing their own workers and Palestinians 'waste away'. Starmer is expected to meet with Trump during his visit to Scotland. US-led peace talks in Qatar were cut short on Thursday, with Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. The deal under discussion is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up negotiations would be held on a lasting truce.
