WHITCHURCH High Street will now not be resurfaced this year as Shropshire Council postponed the work to save money.

The work on the main street in the town was do to take place before the end of March but with 10 other projects, including two others in north Shropshire, it has now been pushed back to 2025/26.

Dan Morris, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways, said that the postponements are part of the measures being undertaken to help save millions of pounds in the budget.

READ MORE: Shropshire Council confirms Whitchurch road resurfacing

He said: “It’s no secret that we have to save £62.5m in the current financial year and we’re now at a critical point to secure our future financial sustainability.

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“We’re working hard to balance the books and we have to examine every pound we spend to prioritise services for people who need us most.

“In many cases we will have no choice but to reduce the level of service we offer – and this includes highways maintenance.

“We will be resurfacing 36 roads this year, but we’ve agreed that work on a further 11 can instead be carried out in the next financial year, that is after April 2025, helping us to make savings this year.

“We have an obligation to ensure that our roads are safe for all road users and each of these 11 schemes has undergone a safety assessment and deemed to be safe for at least one more winter.

“If any safety issues do arise in the coming months these will be assessed and prioritised in line with the council’s procedures and repairs carried out if necessary.”

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Prescott Road in Baschurch and Ruyton-XI-Towns will both also be delayed until next year and further afield from Whitchurch, the A41 near Stoke Heath will also not be resurfaced.

However, Shropshire Council confirmed two major road resurfacing projects in Oswestry will still go ahead in 2024/25 as planned, in Oswald Road and King Street.

And in St Martins, Colliery Road will also still be resurfaced as will Bishop’s Castle’s Church Street, High Street and Market Square.