A LEADING Labour figure claims the plague of pot holes spreading across Cheshire West and Chester has not just been caused by the recent icy spell.
“Residents in Blacon have raised the same concerns over many years, only to be told, time and time again, there is no money,” argues Cllr Reggie Jones (Lab, Blacon).
“The state of the roads prior to Christmas was an appalling testimony to years of under investment by the former Tory controlled County Council and this has been exacerbated by the bad weather.
“The new Cheshire West and Chester Council commissioned a report last year that concluded in identifying a £103m black hole in highways repairs and maintenance.”
At a recent full council meeting Cllr Jones asked the council's deputy leader, Cllr Les Ford (Con, Frodsham and Helsby) not to switch £1.5m into accelerating the computerisation of the council and to redirect the money into dealing with pot holes.
“I believe it is important to prioritise our resources and to reflect the needs of our communities,” said Cllr Jones.
He described the report on the condition of the borough's roads as “scathing” and pointed out the poor weather had accelerated the decline.
Arguing the £1.5m should be ring fenced to deal with the borough's “appalling” pothole problem, Cllr Jones commented: “We need to move the condition of our roads from that of a third world country.”
Asking Cllr Ford to think again, he suggested: “The needs of road users are more important.” Supporting the spending on IT, Cllr Lynn Riley (Con, Weaver), community services portfolio holder, said: “This council is all about driving services to the heart of our communities.
“We cannot have staff out in the community without IT.
“We are a customer first council.”
Environment chief Cllr Neil Ritchie (Con, Broxton) assured the council: “Resources are to be diverted to pot holes to ensure they are dealt with as they arise.”
Cllr Ford described the switch of the £1.5m as “a little bit of tidying up” and insisted: “IT is transforming us into a very modern council.”
Outside the meeting, Cllr Jones commented: “I am sure people will be disappointed that the roads will remain in conditions similar to some third world countries.”
The council says it normally repairs 4,000 pot holes a year.
Council leader Cllr Mike Jones (Con, Broxton) argues the overall maintenance backlog is similar to the position 20 years ago.
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