Crispin Blunt

Conservative Party | Reigate

Crispin Blunt leads delegation to meet with Government minister

Crispin Blunt MP yesterday met with Tom Harris MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Transport. He led a delegation which included Cllr Angela Fraser and officials from Surrey County Council’s transport team as well as John Goldney from the Residents Action Group for the Environment (RAGE).

They were joined by representatives of the Highways Agency. Mr Blunt was again seeking ministerial intervention to kick start work to improve the junction between the M23 and A23. Since 2001, when the then minister stated his support for a new scheme to improve the junction, three separate options have been consulted upon and rejected.

Crispin Blunt had previously met ministers in 2005 and received an undertaking that the parties would exchange information on a fourth option, Option D, which has the support of local politicians and residents.

Speaking at the meeting with the Minister, Crispin Blunt stressed the need to resolve this issue in the face of the rise in population across the region:

“While we were looking at the prospect of an early election last week I noticed that the number of voters in the Reigate constituency has increased by 6,000 voters. The housing targets being imposed across the area mean that congestion at Hooley can only get worse. We are just very lucky that this has not yet turned into an accident black spot given how traffic negotiates this junction.

As a result of yesterday’s meeting Tom Harris called on the Highways Agency and Surrey County Council to work together to agree a way forward. Crispin Blunt has agreed to facilitate this new work on a solution.

Speaking outside the Department of Transport,  Crispin Blunt said:

“My constituents have been waiting three decades for the motorway to be finished. With Reigate and Redhill now a designated Regional Transport Hub and with the population steadily increasing as new development continues apace the time has come for all parties to come together and work on a solution. I hope that the minister’s intervention will focus the efforts of the Highways Agency in this direction.”