TOWN MP Jeremy Hunt has expressed the need for “fast progress” in bringing about a much-needed overhaul to Farnham town centre’s congested and polluted road network.

The South West Surrey MP’s ambition to consult the public on a proposed part-pedestrianisation scheme this autumn was dealt a setback after the Waverley Local Committee withdrew its promise of funding for the consultation.

But in a video posted to his Facebook page following a meeting with Farnham Residents county councillor Andy MacLeod, Mr Hunt confirmed much work is happening behind the scenes to deliver his long-held commitment to overhaul Farnham town centre.

He said: “We’ve just been discussing how absolutely essential it is to make fast progress on transforming the town centre.

“What we are doing is having a whole series of meetings with the traffic planners at Surrey County Council and making good progress on a potentially viable scheme.

“But still there are some issues that need to be ironed out and the next step is a broader involvement of Waverley and the town council so that we can really make progress.”

Mr MacLeod, the councillor for Farnham Central, added: “I’m very supportive of what Jeremy’s attempting to do. We’ve really got to tackle this problem and rebalance the town centre between traffic and people. This is absolutely essential, it’s fundamental to the future success of Farnham.”