Conservative MP slammed for “incorrectly” claiming that “bankrupt” council is prioritising £10m cycle lane extension over local services

A Conservative MP who claimed that the local council is planning to spend £10 million on a cycle lane extension while “threatening to axe local services” has been accused of misinforming and misleading his constituents, after cycling campaigners pointed out that the work to upgrade the current “death trap” infrastructure is in fact funded by the government.

In 2022, the West Midlands Combined Authority secured funding through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement to extend and upgrade Birmingham’s A38 ‘blue’ cycle route, first opened in 2019, linking Selly Oak and the city centre to Northfield and Longbridge with 7.2km of continuous protected cycle lanes.

Since the funding was secured, however, campaigners have criticised Birmingham City Council’s seemingly slow delivery of the project, expected to be completed in early 2027, with West Midlands’ walking and cycling commissioner Adam Tranter arguing in June last year that the “already-funded scheme [is taking] too long to be delivered” and that “we need to move much further and faster”, following the deaths of two Birmingham cyclists in hit-and-run incidents in the space of two weeks.

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However, this week the Conservative MP for Birmingham Northfield, Gary Sambrook, has faced criticism for claiming in a newsletter sent to residents that the financially precarious city council was prioritising spending money on the cycling infrastructure over local services – forcing the MP to instead claim that the funding should be spent on an entirely different active travel project.

“The council is currently threatening to axe local services due to them being effectively bankrupt and now they want to spend £10 million on a cycle lane on Bristol Road,” the newsletter said.

In a petition calling for the A38 cycle lane to be upgraded, campaigners noted that Sambrook was “incorrect” in claiming the funding came from council coffers – pointing out that it was secured through a central government scheme and would enable residents to “make local trips, do the school run, and commute without the fear of being killed by a fast-moving vehicle”.

“The UK Government has funded upgrading the existing death trap on-road cycle lanes and shared paths to a protected cycle blue route,” Better Streets for Birmingham’s co-chair Martin Price wrote.

“The Birmingham Northfield MP has distributed a newspaper incorrectly stating the project is being funded by Birmingham City Council.

“It is the UK Government that has approved and funded the project. If the money is not spent on this project, it has to be sent back.”

He continued: “The route will connect communities to several high streets, hospitals, primary and secondary schools, the university, leisure facilities, and parks.

“We know that 61 per cent of people in the West Midlands would like to cycle more. In the same polling, 62 per cent said that access to separated cycle routes along roads would enable them to cycle more. We support the A38 cycleway extension to Northfield and Longbridge and demand that elected representatives work towards getting it built.”

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Birmingham City Council has since confirmed that Department for Transport funding for the extension of the route had been “ring fenced”, and that a public consultation will take place later in the year.

“Every year, 25 people are killed and 400 seriously injured on Birmingham’s roads,” Price, along with his campaigning co-chair Mat McDonald, told Birmingham Live.

“That's why we’ve been pushing for cyclists to be separated from the road and holding the council to account on its pace of delivery.

“If you want to cycle from Longbridge or Northfield today, you can use the convoluted and muddy Rea Valley Route or use back roads. For the most direct route along the A38, you have to either ride over tree roots on shared paths, or, if you're feeling brave, use the on-road lane where you are just inches from speeding cars.

“The A38 scheme, fully funded by the Government, will enable Brummies to make local trips, do the school run, and commute without the fear of being killed by a fast-moving vehicle. It’s exactly the type of changes to our streets we’ve been campaigning for. We urge everybody to show support for this project and sign the petition.”

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However, in response, Sambrook argued that the council should instead use the £10 million in government funding to improve and widen access to the existing off-road Rea Valley cycle route.

“Many residents are extremely concerned by this scheme and want to see the details in full,” he said. “The council has informed me they intend to tender the £10m project but I believe better use of this money could be spent on improving and widening access to the Rea Valley Cycle Route.

“I have been contacted by a number of cyclists and residents who would see this as a safer way to commute by bike along with River Rea in a properly segregated route, rather than the challenge of using the very busy A38.”

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: “The council has been allocated Department for Transport funding through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) programme for the A38 Selly Oak to Longbridge cycle route project.

“This is ring-fenced, external capital grant funding which cannot be used for anything else. The CRSTS programme is overseen and coordinated by the West Midlands Combined Authority/Transport for West Midlands.

“The scheme is currently in the development phase and there will be public consultation later this year. Improving active travel connections along the A38 corridor between Selly Oak and Longbridge helps deliver the Birmingham Transport Plan, which aims to reduce dependency on private cars, increase active travel and create a safe environment for all road users.”