CALLINGTON’S Cornwall Councillor has urged the Government to stop talking and start acting on work to improve the A38 in Cornwall.

Cllr Andrew Long has urged Westminster to stop talking about the state of the main trunk road through South East Cornwall and start acting on improving the road to bring it up to the same standard as the A30 across the Duchy.

Cllr Long, who sits on Callington Town Council and is a member of Mebyon Kernow, attended a meeting with MP for South East Cornwall Sheryll Murray in Westminster along with the then Transport Minister Patrick McLoughlin.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Long said: ‘The original aim of the meeting was to allow three representatives from the three main network areas in South East Cornwall, to provide a united front on the state of the A38 from the Tamar Bridge through to the Carminnow intersection with the A30 at Bodmin. Together with a senior officer, we had worked on a presentation highlighting the problems at points such as Carkeel, Stoketon Cross, Landrake, Tideford, Trerulefoot, Men-heniot, Double-bois, The Glynn Valley and Bodmin Parkway junction but unfortunately most of the half hour was spent by the MP highlighting just one area around Menheniot. Whilst this junction is a very important section that needs major works, we would not want it to be an “either/or” system as the whole length of the road in Cornwall needs urgent attention.

‘Luckily, at the same meeting, we were introduced to the senior advisor to the transport department and have, since the visit, been in communication and the whole of Cornwall Council are now working together on an evidence-based document to present to Westminster so it can be included in discussions ahead of the second phase of the Regional Investment Strategy for Highways due for publication in the spring of 2017. We now hope that this may be the way forward to ensure proper discussions on the work that is desperately needed for the people of South East Cornwall.’

The three network areas appointed Cllr Long (MK, Caradon Network), Armand Toms (Ind, Liskeard/ Looe Network) and Joe Ellison (Ind, Cornwall Gateway Network) to meet with the minister along with a senior highways officer. Mrs Murray’s office invited a fourth councillor Phil Seeva (Con, Menheniot) to attend on the day.

Cornwall Council’s departments of economic deve-lopment, planning and transport are now preparing evidence-based information to include in the presentation to the new minister, Chris Grayling and the senior civil servants in the coming months.