Earlier plan to dual A1 was dropped, report says

A leaked government report has revealed 2021 plans to dual the A1 were quietly shelved.

The scheme to upgrade the 13-mile (20km) section of road between Morpeth and Ellingham was cancelled by the Labour government last year.

But earlier plans to dual the road were pulled in 2021 after funding was "withdrawn", according to a leaked Department for Transport (DfT) report.

DfT said it did not comment on leaked documents.

The report detailed that during the 2021 Spending Review, funding for the dualling scheme was dropped, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"The funding decision was not made public, but we instructed National Highways to cease work on the scheme," the document said.

A government analysis of the scheme in 2021 also found the costs of the project would outweigh its benefits.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that more than £68m had already been spent on the project, despite work not yet getting under way.

The report also suggested that between 2021 and 2024, the scheme was subject to several development consent order (DCO) extensions.

DCOs are required for nationally significant infrastructure projects.

These were to "allow time to consider environmental matters" as other schemes, such as the A38 Derby Junctions project, had been impacted by legal challenges on environmental grounds.

The report also suggested the cost of dualling the road had "nearly doubled" between 2021 and May 2024, when it was approved by then Conservative government, before it was paused by the new Labour government that same year.

That was due to inflation, it said.

Labour MP David Smith said the report confirmed the last Conservative government had no intention of dualling the A1.

"My focus since becoming MP for North Northumberland has been to secure sensible safety improvements at key junctions," he said.

But Northumberland County Council's Conservative deputy leader Richard Wearmouth said the report proved Tory ministers had been determined to get the project approved.

"The document paints a vivid picture of officials trying to kill the project multiple times but being overruled by Conservative ministers on every single occasion," he said.

DfT said National Highways was now "exploring options" for the road which could improve "safety and congestion" while "offering value for money" to the taxpayer.

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