darren paffey mp Archives - Satvir Kaur MP

Heidi Alexander MP, Secretary of State Transport

The Government has announced this morning that funding for schemes to replace the failing Northam Rail Bridge and to improve the A326 Marchwood Bypass corridor have been approved.

Both schemes have now been given the green light to progress as part of the Department for Transport’s third Road Investment Strategy and Major Road Network review, published today. Heidi Alexander, Secretary of state for Transport, gave a statement to the House of Commons this morning, announcing the strategy and setting out details.

The scheme at Northam Rail Bridge will see provision of a new, widened, replacement bridge on the A3024 corridor in Southampton, and the A326 scheme will see improvements made to the Marchwood Bypass corridor, connecting into the M27 at Junction 2 and serving the Waterside area of the New Forest.

Earlier in March, a group of Southampton small businesses met with Blair McDougall MP, Minister for Small Business and Economic Transformation, at a roundtable meeting hosted in parliament by two of Southampton’s MPs.

The meeting was arranged by Satvir Kaur MP, Member of Parliament for Southampton Test, and Darren Paffey MP, Member of Parliament for Southampton Itchen, in response to conversations had with Southampton small businesses – a number of whom had expressed an interest in speaking directly to ministers about key issues within their sector.

Make it Magic, Mettricks Southampton, and Alaplas Coffee were amongst the businesses attending the high-level meeting, and other attendees included Councillor Alex Winning, Leader of Southampton City Council, and Stephen Mannion, Chief Executive of Go! Southampton.