Reader's letter: Action on A29 is needed at pace – but ‘safety and surveys’ are vital

I’m afraid Stephen Peterson (letters 16/2/23) has a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of a Member of Parliament in Westminster.

I entirely share residents’ frustration at the situation with the A29 on Church Hill in Pulborough and I have held a number of meetings with WSCC about it, but Parliamentarians are legislators.

Parliament makes laws – usually after debate and consideration – but MPs rightly don’t have the power to force councils to do anything.

Local government has its own democratically elected tier of representatives, and a great deal of constitutional history separates the two.

Your correspondent does no one any favours when he says: “Don’t be fooled into believing their rhetoric about safety and surveys…”.

We certainly need action at pace, but I would have thought when repairing a major road that ‘safety and surveys’ are indeed vital.

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