Council chiefs fear a planned new motorway junction could be “sacrificed” in the government’s proposal to reallocate funds to defence.
Gloucestershire County Council wants to build a new M5 junction to the south of Tewkesbury to help solve long-standing issues and unlock plans for 25,000 homes.
However on 29 June Prime Minister Keir Starmer said a £15bn rise in military spending would come from cutting investment budgets in other areas – including £700m in savings from roads projects.
County councillor Julian Tooke, who leads on infrastructure on the council, said: “We are very concerned that Gloucestershire’s need for improvements to junction 9 of the M5 and the A46 may get sacrificed.”
The Department for Transport (DfT) said it will not comment on funding prospects for junction 9 at this stage, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.
In 2024, the works were estimated to cost up to £930m, and funding was approved to develop a £13m business case for the project.