{
	"type": "rich",
	"version": "1.0",
	"provider_name": "Action Network",
	"provider_url": "https://actionnetwork.org",
	
	"html": "<link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/investigate-the-privatised-lower-thames-crossing-now?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-investigate-the-privatised-lower-thames-crossing-now' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div>",
	"author_name": "Transport Action Network",
	"author_url": "https://actionnetwork.org/groups/transport-action-network",
	"title": "Investigate the privatised Lower Thames Crossing now!",
	"thumbnail_url": "https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/451/936/normal/privatised_LTC_(2).jpg",
	"description": "Transport Action Network has uncovered serious financial irregularities with the privatised* Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) ‘smart’ motorway, and needs your help to make sure this is investigated. It’s not an issue just for people living in the South - it affects everyone in the country as the LTC is taking money away from projects in other areas. They previously asked the National Audit Office (NAO), the UK’s independent spending watchdog, to look into the LTC, but it declined to do so. However, since then, they have discovered new concerns: The Department for Transport has pledged another £174 million of taxpayers’ money for the LTC (squeezing budgets elsewhere). This is after Rachel Reeves announced £891 million of public funding for it in November 2025, calling it the “final tranche of government support”. The LTC is going ahead without a completed business case in place. So there is no way of knowing if it makes financial sense! There is a high risk that the cost to the public purse could be much higher than the £3.1bn already pledged. That’s because the government is hoping the private operators will reimburse it for costs above this level, but there is no guarantee this will happen. No one knows how much public money is at risk, as the government has remained tight-lipped about this. The NAO has been reluctant to investigate the financial shenanigans around the LTC, leading to questions about its independence. Please help increase the pressure on the NAO to do its job in the light of this new information.",
	"url": "https://actionnetwork.org/letters/investigate-the-privatised-lower-thames-crossing-now"
}