Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for future investment in the (a) West Sussex and (b) Mid Sussex transport network.

Andrew Jones, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport: Local transport funding is directed at highway authority level, in this case West Sussex County Council, which includes Mid Sussex District Council. The Government is investing over £95m on local road maintenance and small scale transport schemes in the County up to 2021. In addition, West Sussex benefits from access to £238m Local Growth Funding (LGF) over the same period which has been secured by the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). Examples of this LGF funding include £17m towards the A3200 Burgess Hill Link Road and £13m towards a scheme to realign the A29 in Bognor Regis. The Department is also addressing missing links on the A27 by undertaking substantial improvements at Chichester, Arundel and Worthing.

On the rail network, the Department is working with stakeholders to develop options for the redevelopment of Gatwick Airport station. In addition, the Thameslink Programme is delivering significant benefits to the Brighton Main Line which serves Mid Sussex. Investment in new trains, London Bridge station and the Thameslink core means that from 2018, the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) franchise will be able to deliver a major improvement to rail services.

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