THE councillor responsible for the town's roads faces a grilling over the ongoing closure of Mead Way.

The £4m project started in early March 2020 and phase one was due to be completed 10 weeks later. But the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns delayed that – and roadworks on the major West Swindon route are still going on nearly a year later.

Maureen Penny, Swindon Borough Council's Conservative cabinet member for highways, will face questions at the authority’s scrutiny meeting this evening.

Her appearance has been scheduled for weeks and is a normal part of the work of the council – but she seems likely to face close questioning over Mead Way.

Labour councillor for Mannington and Western Kevin Small wants answers.

He said: “Residents of Westlea and the business owners at the Westmead Industrial Estate have had to put up with a year of delay and inconvenience with months of more delays expected.

“We need real answers on why the work has taken so long and why the original estimates were so out of touch.

“We understand that the situation with Covid-19 has had an impact, but a big chunk of the project should already have been completed before the first lockdown began.”

The meeting begins at 6pm and a weblink will be activated to allow members of the public to follow proceedings.