The A6003 at Corby, the A509 at Isham and the A6116 at Islip among major roads to benefit from £2m government HS2 pot


The first instalment of funding from the scrapped HS2 project for the county’s highways has been revealed, with Northamptonshire authorities publishing a two-year plan detailing exactly which local roads will benefit.
Funds from Network North, a programme of pothole repairs and road resurfacing projects across England made possible by the first share of reallocated HS2 funding, have been announced by North Northamptonshire Council (NNC). The area is due to receive over £62m in total between 2023/24 and 2033/34.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe council has already been paid £1.069m by the Department for Transport (DfT) and is set to receive another £1.069m instalment in this financial year to get on with the work and deliver improvements.
As part of a government initiative to bring increased transparency to how local councils deliver taxpayer-funded improvements, councils must publish their plans on how to spend the redirected money on the local road network.
NNC has said the money will be spent on resurfacing roads, cycleways and footways and maintaining bridges, as well as preventing potholes and other road defects. The funding will allow the authority to complete work it would not have been able to previously.
The council wrote on their website of the improvements: “Looking ahead, the plan for 2024/25 promises a new approach towards network improvements. Additional budgets allow us to address lingering infrastructure gaps while proactively dealing with maintenance issues before they become costly reactive repairs.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe roads set to benefit from the council’s DfT funding are:
A6116 Thrapston roundabout, Islip
A6003 Uppingham Road, Corby
Ditchford Lane, Wellingborough
Cut Throat Lane, Great Doddington
A509 Kettering Road, Isham
A4500 Wellingborough Road, Ecton
Rushton Road, Rushton
Orlingbury Road, Pytchely
West Street, Kings Cliffe
Rothwell Road, Desborough
Rushton Road, Rothwell
Carlton Road, Willbarston
Finedon Road, Irthlingborough
North Northants Council has also committed to contributing an additional £9m of its own funding from 2024/25-2026/27 to complement the ongoing DfT-funded highways projects. Roads flagged for work using this budget include the A6116 Islip Bypass, Station Road in Finedon, A6 Liberty Way in Rushden and A509 Wilby Way in Great Doddington, among others.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “We’re on the side of drivers, which is why this Government is getting on with delivering our plan to invest £959 million in the East Midlands as part of the biggest ever funding increase for local road improvements, made possible by reallocated HS2 funding.
“Alongside this unprecedented funding, which is already being used to improve local roads, we’re making sure residents can hold their local authority to account and see for themselves how the investment will be spent to improve local roads for years to come.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdCouncils will be required to submit quarterly reports from June, announcing work which has taken place over the previous three months. The DfT has said it will keep the quality of authorities’ reporting under review in the interests of taxpayers.
A full breakdown of NNC’s spending plans and further details can be accessed here.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.