The economy of north Northumberland has suffered due to the long-term failure to dual the A1 in the area, a local councillor and business owner has said. Coun Isabel Hunter represents the Berwick West with Ord ward on Northumberland County Council and owns DHH Contracts, a freight company based in the area.
Single carriageway sections cause delays
Large sections of the A1 in Northumberland are single carriageway only, despite campaigners calling for full dualling for decades. While safety is generally cited as the most important issue behind dualling, Coun Hunter claims the area has suffered financially as a result.
She said: "When the road has to close and traffic is diverted, you use more fuel, jobs get held up. If you get caught in a traffic jam, you can't get out and the problem is worse."
"It's time for the business as well as cost. If a driver is still in a van spending one or two hours extra, you get extra costs in fuel and wages."
"When I drove back up to Berwick from Morpeth on Tuesday, it was nose to tail all the way up. The gridlock on the A1 has an effect on the business because you can't meet deadlines on time."
"Businesses need it to be dualled. It has had an effect on business and it is impacting the economy."
Impact on business relocation and young people
Coun Hunter also explained that the A1 made it difficult for young people to stay in the area, as they couldn't easily access training opportunities in the south east of the county and faced a lack of jobs when ready to enter the workplace.
She continued: "That has a knock-on effect on young people leaving the area for jobs. We're getting this data centre in the south east, but people can't easily get down there by road."
"How is a 16-year-old going to get to Blyth for the training? We have more people retiring here, and older people don't put as much into the economy, and money recycles."
"The economy on the west coast, where it is dual carriageway and motorways all the way up, is much more buzzing. We rely on tourism too much - I'm not against it, but you can't put all your eggs in one basket."
"We're too reliant, we don't have a mix and we need that mix. We could have a bigger economy here if the A1 was dualled."
