'Why Have These Works Been Planned to Take Place Now?'
I've written to Staffordshire County Council to ask why it is pressing ahead with roadworks on Friarswood Road while the sinkhole at Brook Lane remains unresolved and Friarswood Road is being used as a key diversion route.
Residents are already facing delays because of the ongoing closure of Brook Lane, with many telling me journeys on the morning commute that should take minutes are taking much longer.
I share their frustration and cannot understand why further disruption is being planned on one of the town's busiest routes.
The County Council must explain to people in Newcastle-under-Lyme why these works are going ahead now, whether they can be delayed, and what steps will be taken to prevent congestion and avoid placing even more pressure on our already stretched road network.
Read the full text of the letter
Dear Patrick,
Re: Roadworks on Friarswood Road
I am writing to raise my significant concerns – and those shared with me by a number of my constituents – about the planned roadworks at the Friarswood Road/Priory Road traffic lights in Newcastle-under-Lyme. They are reportedly due to begin on Monday 19 October and will continue for two weeks.
The question that local people and I need answered is a simple one – why have these works been planned to take place now, at a time when our town centre is currently experiencing significant disruption due to the ongoing road closure of Brook Lane?
I appreciate that roadworks and regular and thorough maintenance of our highways is, of course, necessary. I should know, I write to Staffordshire County Council often enough about it. However, there must surely be serious consideration given to when and how such works take place and the significant impact that they will have on those who live, work and visit our community here.
Local people are rightly frustrated and tell me about the considerable impact the closure of Brook Lane is causing, with reports that a journey which would normally take around ten minutes is taking approximately 45 minutes.
I live here and I’ve seen and experienced this disgraceful situation for myself when trying to get to visit family off Clayton Road. Like the people I represent here in Newcastle-under-Lyme, I have to travel around our town, and frankly, the situation we now find ourselves in is totally unacceptable.
That’s why I wrote to Staffordshire County Council on 1 September 2026 and am waiting for answers to the questions I put on behalf of my constituents. We need to know when things will be sorted.
I am struggling to understand the reasoning for beginning a set of works on roads that are now heavily used as diversion routes following the road closure of Brook Lane.
Local people and our businesses rely on our roads every day and the impact on them must be a priority for Staffordshire County Council when works like these are planned and scheduled. This is simply a question of sensible planning, coordination and common sense.
I would be grateful if you could provide an urgent explanation as to why these particular works need to happen now, whether they could be delayed and what consideration Staffordshire County Council has given to the significant impact of yet another disruption on our roads and the steps that will be taken to ensure that Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre doesn’t come to a complete standstill.
If there is a compelling reason as to why the works must begin on Monday 19 October, then local people deserve to know why that is. If not, I would urge Staffordshire County Council to consider whether these works could be rescheduled to avoid adding further pressure to an already heavily disrupted route.
Further to that, I would urge Staffordshire County Council, in the strongest terms, to get a grip and do whatever is necessary to re-open Brook Lane and to do so with urgency. The current situation is inexplicable, indefensible and, frankly, ridiculous. It beggars the question – what are we paying our council tax for?
As the works are due to take place in the coming days, I look forward to your prompt response and the necessary communication with the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme who just want to get on their lives rather than waste their time in gridlocked traffic.
Yours sincerely,
Adam Jogee MP
Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme
