FEW would argue that Oxfordshire’s congested trunk roads are in dire need of a drastic upgrade.

The A40 and A34 in particular are crucial arteries for the city and we all know how easy it is for them to become clogged.

A spot of heavy rain, a set of roadworks and a minor shunt can combine to bring roads for miles around to a shuddering halt.

So while it is nice to hear Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledge that investment in our major roads is essential, it is a pity that his own Cabinet Office appears to have put the mockers on plans to do just that.

They have told Oxfordshire County Council leader Ian Hudspeth and his team to “tone down” ambitious plans to bid for Government cash for infrastructure improvements under the worthy but complex City Deal initiative.

Mr Cameron himself admits that there is not a lot of new money on the table as part of the City Deal and it is clear that his deputy Nick Clegg has been hard at work scaling the whole thing back.

So we appear to be no further forward, leaving Oxfordshire’s motorists to sit and quietly fume in a long, bureaucratic tailback.

All they have to console them are some fine words from our Prime Minister and the receding hope of reduced funding some time in the future.

Jam tomorrow, in other words.