ALL sorts of schemes, ranging from expensive to madcap, have been announced by the Conservatives, and more promises will doubtless be made in the run-up to the elections local and general.

While tunnels under Stonehenge and Oxford High Street feature, there is no mention today of action on the blight to West Oxfordshire which is the A40.

Last week students from our secondary schools across the district presented ideas to me and other councillors for improving lives and council services.

Two teams spoke eloquently of ways to improve local transport, and others on ways to reconnect local councils and government to the priorities of people they serve.

If we were to follow this sound advice we would resolve to act on the A40: to reduce demand, increase capacity and provide alternatives to the commute thousands dread every day.

It is easy to regard hours spent on the A40, A44 and neighbouring routes as an inconvenience if you are just a visitor or weekender.

However, the constant jams for eight hours a day are a blight on family life and one of the biggest stresses local people and businesses face.

I’ve set up a survey on myenvolve.com to document the damage jams cause and will use this to force action from our Conservative MPs and councils.

Empty announcements and wacky schemes are not enough – we need a concerted and long-term plan, followed by decisive action to end A40 congestion. I will lead that plan and be answerable for it as MP.

Cllr Duncan Enright
Labour Councillor for Witney East
Parliamentary Candidate for West Oxfordshire

Today’s letters


Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.