Stafford's MP has disputed a claim by a senior county councillor that she did not raise concerns about roadworks near Stafford with the authority before speaking out in Parliament.

Leigh Ingham told fellow MPs that constituents had reported children late for school in exam season, public transport issues and vehicles driving the wrong way down a one-way street since the works began on the A5103 at Creswell Grove.

The work includes a new priority junction and additional traffic lane and is expected to be complete in November.

A 20-mile diversion is now in place for anyone travelling by road from Stafford to Eccleshall after a one-way traffic restriction was been put in place at Creswell Grove.

Ms Ingham also said in Parliament there had been confusion after changes to the route were decided and then not communicated to anyone.

In a letter to Ms Ingham following her speech, Cllr Peter Mason, cabinet member for strategic highways at Staffordshire County Council, said: "Whilst I respect you representing your constituents in Parliament, I was surprised to see your comments given you received updates on the scheme, and you did not raise these concerns directly with me or the council before doing so publicly in Parliament or on social media.

"Planning permission for the Stafford Gate development was granted by Stafford Borough Council in March 2019; as part of that consent, the developer is required to deliver highway improvements.

"The works are being undertaken by Alto Construct and funded by Strawsons Holding Limited under an agreement signed in 2024 under the previous administration.

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"The council has already delayed this scheme by a year as part of our Keeping Staffordshire Moving initiative.

"This delay allowed other works in Stafford to be completed first in order to reduce the burden and avoid too many works happening on the local road network at the same time.

"Claims that there has been no communication are incorrect; as per standard practice, stakeholder updates and resident letters were issued on 17 April ahead of the work commencing.

"This was then followed by wider media and social media updates from 23 April alongside coverage in the local media.

"When the scheme commenced on 11 May it quickly became clear that the traffic management arrangements were unsuitable and posed safety concerns – the council acted immediately and asked the contractor to remove them the same day.

"A full review was then undertaken, with revised arrangements and further stakeholder and public communications issued on Friday, followed by wider media and social media updates ahead of the new arrangements coming commencing on Monday 18 May."

But Ms Ingham, writing in response to Councillor Mason's letter, said: "I was surprised by your suggestion that I did not raise concerns with you or the county council before speaking publicly about this matter, considering that I wrote to you on 28th April, nearly two weeks before the scheme commenced.

"My letter set out in detail the concerns that had been raised with me by residents, businesses, and community representatives.

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"It raised a wide range of questions regarding traffic management, diversion routes, impacts on local roads, effects on businesses, public transport arrangements, accessibility, consultation, communication, and the timing of the works during the GCSE and A level examination period.

"Unfortunately, the majority of those questions remain unanswered.

"You state that communications were issued to residents and stakeholders ahead of the works commencing; however I have been informed by local representatives, including parish council members, that they did not receive adequate advance engagement regarding either the original arrangements or the subsequent changes.

"Indeed, the need to withdraw the traffic management arrangements on the first day of operation suggests that concerns about the scheme's practical impact were well founded.

"The issues I raised in Parliament reflected concerns that had been brought directly to me by constituents during the first week of the works.

"These included reports of significant delays, school pupils arriving late during exam season, disruption to public transport, confusion surrounding revised traffic arrangements, and dangerous driving behaviour resulting from uncertainty about the route.

"Given the volume and consistency of these reports, I believe it was entirely appropriate to raise them publicly. Furthermore, constituents continue to contact me regarding the ongoing impact of these works."