COLUMN - Melton & Syston MP, Edward Argar
As readers of the Melton Times will have seen, last Thursday marked a momentous milestone in the delivery of the north and eastern sections of the Melton Mowbray Distributor Road (MMDR), with the Roads Minister visiting Melton to get a preview of the bypass and officially unveil the road's name, 'Pork Pie Way', chosen by a large majority of public votes.
Many great naming suggestions were put forward, but this perfectly captures the historic link between our town and the iconic pork pie, and the huge role it plays in our town's fortunes, reputation, and rural economy.
So it was a real pleasure to join my predecessor as Melton's MP, Alicia Kearns, the Minister, the leaders of the County Council and of Melton Borough Council (MBC), the Mayor, and councillors, alongside all those who have designed and built the road, for the ceremony.
This project has been many years in the making, and has been the work of many hands across different political parties leading both County Hall and MBC, three different MPs for Melton, starting with Sir Alan Duncan, and different governments - I want to pay tribute to everyone who throughout that long period of time all did so much to make this happen.
It has been a genuine team effort, with the amazing people of Melton and the villages, who have tolerated the construction impacts, being central to that.
The bypass will make a huge difference to Melton, and congestion and traffic in the town, and is a much needed investment in our local infrastructure, but it is still vital that we keep up the pressure for the southern leg of the MMDR to be constructed to finish the job and deliver the full benefits for the town.
As Melton's local MP I will continue to campaign and work hard for that.
Another, linked, issue that I have continued to focus on recently is Melton town centre, and what can be done to further support the amazing businesses and shops and to increase footfall in our fantastic town centre, to help ensure Melton flourishes, building on the work that has already been done so far.
All rural market town centres face challenges as shopping habits change, but Melton Mowbray is such a fantastic place and all the basic ingredients are there for it to enjoy the bright future it deserves, to match its proud and successful past.
To meet that challenge of the future will involve partnership working across the town, and many different short- and longer-term steps, that I believe will help rejuvenate our town centre.
But one simple, short-term step that I am campaigning for, and that I have recently raised with the new leader of MBC, Councillor Ronan Browne, is for the council to smarten up the railings, lamp columns, the 'street furniture' near the church and throughout the centre of town, with a fresh coat of paint.
We have all seen them looking tired with the blue and gold paint fading and peeling, and for a one-off capital spend it is only a small step, but one that has the potential to help 'smarten up Melton' in the town centre, show everyone the huge pride we all take in the town, and that we're firmly open for business.