With the good news that the Farthinghoe Bridge repairs will be completed within a number of weeks and the A422 reopened before Christmas, I know that residents are keen to know where we are with the delivery of the much-needed Farthinghoe Bypass.

You will be aware, from my previous updates, that the northern route around the village has been selected, but there is no funding available through Northants County Council to complete the design work and build the road. This is why, alongside Cllr Ian Morris at the County Council and Hilary Chipping at SEMLEP, we explored whether the new proposed Major Road Network could be used to fund the full end-to-end design and construction of the Bypass, and submitted formal responses to the Department for Transport’s consultation on the MRN. The A422 through the village has been included as part of the suggested network for the MRN, but there were specific questions over whether our Bypass would qualify for funding on a number of factors.

Residents have been in touch in recent weeks to ask for an update, and I continue to work closely with Cllrs Mick Morris and John Grant on the Parish Council. I received a reply from the Secretary of State for Transport which has confirmed that his Department will be publishing a response very shortly, and that he anticipates guidance being issued by the end of this year.

As soon as we receive this, I will be coordinating a bid for funding (should we be eligible!) with NCC and SEMLEP, alongside England’s Economic Heartland Strategic Alliance which will have eventual oversight for the MRN in our area.

You can read my consultation response here and see a copy of Chris’s letter here. As ever, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.