Transport infrastructure in Fylde has been a priority for me as your Member of Parliament. On Friday I was delighted to visit the ongoing work to deliver the new M55 Link Road, a £27 million scheme which will provide an alternative route out of Lytham St Annes to the motorway, easing the congestion issues that so regularly reduce Queensway to a standstill. With a growing local population and the continued popularity of Fylde’s beaches, open spaces and hospitality industry with tourists, the project has never been more important.
I have fought since my election in 2010 to get the road built and I am grateful to the Government and Lancashire County Council for their continued support and additional funding, which has ensured that the project did not fall by the wayside.
I was joined onsite by a selection of local Councillors and Council Officers from both Lancashire County Council and Fylde Borough Council, and it was incredibly exciting to see the clear outline of the road emerging from the moss. From the start of work on site in April 2021 to the point we are at now, with the road set to open to traffic this year, has been incredibly quick and my thanks go to all those whose hard work have enabled such a rapid transformation.
The Scouting movement has a strong presence in Lancashire, with some 13,000 young people involved in the Scouting movement across the West Lancashire district, which includes Fylde. While making the most of the great outdoors may seem easy when you live in a county like ours, with fantastic countryside within easy reach, it is only thanks to the commitment of the volunteer leaders that these opportunities are brought to life for young people.
It was wonderful to meet with members, leaders, and representatives from the Scouting Movement to celebrate and learn more about their efforts in our area, as well as looking to the future, with the unveiling of exciting plans to upgrade the Waddecar activity centre. This much-loved facility will bring back fond memories for many Fylde scouts, who will have visited and taken part in all kinds of adventures there, and I am pleased that such opportunities will also be available to future generations.