Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used his conference speech to confirm the dualling of the 13 mile stretch of the A1 between Morpeth and Ellingham.

The A1 project will receive reallocated funding after the government announced it would end costly plans to extend the HS2 rail line to Manchester. In addition to the long-awaited A1 news, Northumberland will benefit from a share of a £460 million pot to ensure the delivery of 21 smaller road schemes, including the Blyth Relief Road. 

Councillor Sanderson said:

“We very much welcome the announcements from the Prime Minister today and the fact he recognises the importance for our county and the wider region of having roads and infrastructure fit for the 21st Century. 

“While we look forward to finding more detail there are clear commitments to Northumberland  

“We have long campaigned for the A1 dualling and were very disappointed when the decision was pushed back last month. We have continued to push on the Minister's door to get the best possible deal for the county and the region and today’s announcement gives us renewed hope this vital scheme will come forward shortly. 

“We had already submitted a business case to the Department for Transport to seek funding support for the Blyth Relief Road and were awaiting the outcome.  

“We are therefore delighted that at the announcement today which demonstrates the strength of our funding bid. The Blyth Relief Road will bring huge benefits for the town and wider connectivity to the raft of new developments taking place in the area. 

“A lot of work is already taking place to progress the planning for this new road and this is a great boost and will now enable us to take this scheme forward.” 

MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed Anne-Marie Trevelyan welcomed the announcement. She said:

"Fantastic news from the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today, announcing funding for the dualling of our A1 between Morpeth and Ellingham to go ahead!

"I've been relentlessly in the ear of every minister and prime minister - with much-appreciated help from every constituent who has signed one of my petitions to show how strongly we feel.

"Today's reinvestment of every single penny in the hundreds of transport infrastructure projects that will make a real difference across our nation shows this government is listening."