A MOTION calling on the Government to support and invest in better transport links for the South West to secure future resilience was given unanimous backing at a meeting of West Devon Borough Council last week.

Leader of the council Cllr Philip Sanders submitted the motion calling for the Government to invest in four key areas, asking fellow councillors for their support.

The motion stated: 'This council calls upon the Secretary of State for Transport and the Chancellor of the Exchequer to support the future economic resilience of the South West Peninsula by investing in improved strategic road and rail transport links. Our area is frequently cut off from the rest of the country because strategic transport links are adversely affected by severe weather, accidents or maintenance works. An efficient and integrated transport infrastructure is critical to ensure essential services function and the economy can grow.'

The motion asks the Government to invest in four key areas to help Devon's economy, including improvements to the A303/A30/A358 to create a reliable second strategic road link from London to the South West Peninsula, a resilient and reliable railway for the South West Peninsula, faster rail journey times and better connections and sufficient capacity and quality of trains (both engines and carriages) to meet demand.

At the meeting, Cllr Sanders said: 'I am hoping a number of other councils in the South West will also be taking this action to put pressure on the Government. We are trying to bring to fruition some of the projects that have been in the background for a number of years.'

He said whatever happened there was a need for a 'resilient and reliable' railway, emphasising that the closure of the main railway to the South West, after the line collapsed at Dawlish earlier in the year during stormy weather, could not happen again.

Cllr Sanders added that he had heard last week that Network Rail was advising people not to use the line because of the weather conditions, which he said was 'ridiculous'.

'It is bad for our tourist trade, bad for our business trade and bad for people travelling up and down the country,' he said. 'It really is not good enough in this day and age that we are getting a third rate service.'

Cllr Ted Sherrell was keen to back the motion.

He said: 'I very strongly support this motion. We are victims, here in Devon and Cornwall, of the idea that England ends at Bristol. The transport has always been dreadful here — that is a historic fact — and it is high time it should be put right.'

Cllr Sherrell said that there were no motorways past Exeter, only dual carriageways and a large part of Cornwall was still single carriage roads.

'It is time we had a fair deal and a fair amount of funding,' he said.

Cllr Terry Pearce pointed out that while he was in support of the motion, if money was released to improve transport links, he hoped that Devon County Council would remember that West Devon's infrastructure would need updating, saying that Tavistock and Okehampton's current infrastructure would not be able to cope with an increase in traffic.

The council voted unanimously to support the motion and a letter will be sent to the Secretary of State for Transport and the Chancellor of the Exchequer in due course.