The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answers on 24th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government when they intend to announce whether they will provide the remaining £6.2 million necessary to restore the Tyne Bridge.
Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab, DfT): All capital funding within the Department for Transport is subject to internal review which is feeding into the Comprehensive Spending Review; the outcome of which will be known later this year.
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the condition of Redheugh Bridge; and whether they intend to provide funding for its restoration.
Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Gateshead Council and Newcastle City Council, as local highway authorities, are responsible for the condition and maintenance of Redheugh Bridge through the Newcastle and Gateshead’s Joint Bridges Committee”. Both Councils are members of the North-East Combined Authority (NECA).
The Department does not hold a central contingency fund to pay for repairs of this sort but is always willing to discuss with individual highway authorities what support might be available. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, which will allow authorities to undertake more repairs of this sort. As part of the funding uplift, NECA will receive an additional £21.7 million, on top of its existing City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. It is a matter for the Mayor to determine how to allocate this funding to NECA’s constituent authorities to allow them to maintain their highway networks, including bridges and other assets.
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.