PM questioned over commitment to Snake Pass support

When Andy Burnham was the mayor of Greater Manchester, he joined two of his mayoral counterparts whose areas cover the Peak District in calling for the government to take greater responsibility for the Snake Pass route.

He said the route - among the UK's most scenic, but mired by landslips and costly repairs - "should be considered key national infrastructure".

The former mayor was implying that such a vital route connecting two of the north's biggest powerhouses, Manchester and Sheffield, was too important to be the responsibility of a local council like Derbyshire County Council, and its limited budget.

But in his new role as prime minister, there has been no movement on the government's position - despite Burnham calling for a "better road solution" for the region last week.

Burnham last week travelled via Snake Pass for a meeting in Sheffield with a number of regional mayors, including the East Midlands' Claire Ward, and spoke negatively about the experience travelling via the "crumbling" road.

He told the meeting, according to the Manchester Evening News, that "we need a better road solution".

"It cannot be right that the Woodhead Pass, the Snake Pass, are managed as just local roads that are crumbling and not available for large parts of the year," he said.

However, asked whether the government was considering further action in line with the prime minister's previous calls to take the road out of the hands of the council, the Department of Transport said: "While it is Derbyshire County Council's responsibility to maintain this iconic road, last year we announced a £7.6m boost to make life-saving improvements on the route.

"We are also providing the East Midlands Combined County Authority with £2bn in Transport for City Regions funding over the next six years so they can invest in their local transport network, wherever they see fit."

It marks virtually no change in the position from last year despite Burnham's words and prior involvement in the lobbying effort.

It has led to Derbyshire's Reform-UK leaders claiming the prime minister is in danger of talking "hot air" over comments in support of a better solution to managing it as recently as last week.

Reform UK's deputy leader of Derbyshire County Council Stephen Reed said that "it seems that the right hand isn't talking to the left hand in his government, when looking at the response from the [Department for Transport].

"Will he actually deliver on what he said a year ago, or is this just hot air - a case of him just saying what people want to hear?" he said.

Snake Pass is regarded as one of the most scenic driving roads in the UK, and is used by about 30,000 vehicles a week.

But it is also considered one of the most high-risk roads in England due to a series of steep bends, twists and blind junctions.

It is often the subject of roadworks and closes regularly due to difficult weather or landslips, making it dangerous to drive along.

Derbyshire County Council has warned it cannot afford to keep repairing it.

Burnham's comments to the mayors last week echoed similar remarks made to the BBC last year when Burnham - who was mayor of Greater Manchester at the time - joined a number of other mayors whose areas over the route to call on the then government to provide more funding and support for the Snake Pass route.

Burnham said: "There's a conversation to be had about managing these roads in a different way. Snake Pass...should be considered key national infrastructure."

He added there was no comparable situation elsewhere in the country where key infrastructure between two major cities was maintained by a local council as opposed to a body like National Highways.

"It's actually unfair to [Derbyshire County Council] with the budgets that they've got, the pressure on road budgets that we all know, the pothole challenges that we know, to leave them struggling with key national infrastructure," he said.

Claire Ward insisted earlier this year that her own lobbying efforts had not been rejected following a similarly cool response from the government for calls for more support at the time.

She told the BBC this week that the prime minister understands "how critical it is that we find a solution".

"We are working closely with Derbyshire County Council to understand the full extent of the land slips and identify the measures needed to help keep this key route open safely," she said.

The county council is in the process of spending millions in government grant funding carrying out ground investigation works.

The route is also set to form a key part of the Tour de France Femmes 2027, for which the council was recently given a £2.4m grant to support preparations.

Another solution to help manage the area's poor road infrastructure was also knocked back recently by the government when it dismissed a proposal by an infrastructure group Future Works to revive the idea of a tunnel linking Manchester to Sheffield via the Peak District, which the group said would provide an economic boost for the region and cut journey times by 30 minutes.

Future Works told the BBC it hoped Burnham would look at the plans given his commitment to improving northern infrastructure.

The Manchester Evening News reported that Burnham told the meeting of mayors last week that infrastructure in the region has "got to be better".

"It's ridiculous actually that we have a couple of winding roads and a creaky rail service," he said. "I'll work with the local authorities concerned."

Given the millions it has spent on repairs and the persistent closures, county council leaders would likely welcome any call from the prime minister to make good on his claims that the issue should be prioritised.

Charlotte Hill, Derbyshire County Council's cabinet member for highways, said: "Snake Pass presents us with a complex challenge due to its underlying geology along with the topography of the surrounding area and exposure to severe weather.

"With a number of active landslips along the route, it's crucial we focus on finding a long-term solution that addresses these issues safely and sustainably."

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