Rural Areas: Roads
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consultations his Department has held with farming communities on the potential impact of rural road infrastructure on farming operations.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Rural road infrastructure is not a matter for Defra. The Department for Transport is responsible for providing policy, guidance and funding to local authorities in England to help them run and maintain their road networks. Local authorities are responsible for the management of the local road network under their control, and it is for individual local authorities to decide on how best to maintain its roads based on local needs, priorities and funding. Consultation with rural communities, including farmers, on the subject of road infrastructure would be a matter for the Department for Transport and the relevant local authorities.
This Government takes the accessibility and condition of both rural and urban roads very seriously and is determined to help local authorities tackle the maintenance backlog that results from years of underinvestment by the previous Government. Well-maintained roads are vital for the economy and broader factors such as the social wellbeing of communities.
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