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Issues Affecting Brickhill
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Bedford Liberal Democrats
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Highway Repairs
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Liberal Democrats often receive criticism for our
campaigns to make roads safer. However we understand that large potholes and
uneven pavements are not just unsightly they are dangerous. Pedestrians can
suffer severe injuries and if cyclists encounter a pothole it can have serious
consequences.
Your Liberal Democrat Focus Team are constantly reporting
issues concerning highways. Lack of proper maintenance by our Tory Controlled
County Council, has left our roads
crumbling and in need of constant repair. Please advise us if you see pot holes
in the roads or pavements - we will get them fixed.
For road repairs tell us the road and location and
preferably which
number house is close by. Are you interested to know which roads are due for work to be carried out?
Read this copy of the five year plan to see the proposals of the Borough Council. We are campaigning hard for roads such as Torridge Rise to be surfaced urgently.
Click
here to
see the five year plan |
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Roads and Pavements and Lighting
We are very concerned about the number of
street lights which are broken. This has reached an unacceptable level
and we are reporting every single light and demanding that they be
fixed.This crossing in Avon Drive (shown opposite) not only had failed
street lights, the bollards and beacon were also unlit, making it a very
dangerous place to cross.
Street lighting
It is
important to keep our light working, this is for safety and security of
road users and pedestrians. For street lamp repairs it helps to know
what address the lamp is located by, or the number from the lighting
column.
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Borough
Council Executive complacent about road and
pavement repairs in Brickhill
Fed up with poor roads and pavements, Charles
Royden asked the following question at the meeting of the full
Borough Council;
Councillor Royden - Question
Is the Executive aware of the deteriorating standards of our roads and
our pavements, such as those experienced by local residents in
Brickhill? Do they regret the wait of many months before repairs are
carried out and the fact that the allocated budgets are so low that many
uneven paths and roads are never brought up to an acceptable standard,
even after specific requests from Borough and Parish Councillors? This
poor standard of maintenance is a hazard for motorists but it has also
created dangerous conditions for pedestrians and cyclists.
What is intended to be done to allocate more resources to such essential
infrastructure repairs?
Reply by Councillor Clifton
Thank you to Cllr Royden for expressing your concern on the poor
condition of the roads and pavements – and Councillor Headley’s put a
petition forward, so we’re all aware of it. He is not alone. The Council
has for many, many years been concerned at the continuing lack of
investment by the County Council in the highway network. As a Council,
the Borough has subsidised funding on highways by millions of pounds but
this has not been enough to stem the deterioration of the roads. I
believe that not only has the highway service been underfunded, Bedford
has suffered more as the County Council has prioritised resources to the
mid and south of the county. Indeed I understand that last year the
Borough Council had 18.9% of its network classified as defective, where
the other two had 15.7% and 13.8% respectively. This is made even worse
when you consider that the Borough Council has a greater road network
than the other two areas.
I regret that I do not think we can be put right until the Borough
Council is the unitary authority and can properly allocate the funding
to where it is needed. I will, of course, in the meantime seek to
encourage the County Council to invest more into our crumbling roads.
Perhaps I could start by asking the County Council Tom Wootton,
Portfolio Holder, why he has not championed the Borough’s case and why
he has allowed our residents to be short-changed.
Staying on the theme of under funding and given the County Council’s
much trumpeted Council Tax increase of 3.8% couldn’t he have persuaded
his colleagues to stump up the cash to cover the park and ride gap
rather than what happened last night at the parking board when the
Borough Council was asked to shore it up!
Councillor Royden – Statement
I just find that to be unacceptable, because it sounds as if what you’re
doing is just blaming somebody else and the people out there who are
paying their Council Taxes, they want to see something happen for their
increasing taxes, in terms of maintenance of our highways. We were told
last Council meeting that our trees can’t get cut because you haven’t
got enough money. We’re told now that our roads and our pavements can’t
get repaired because you haven’t got enough money. I want to see action
plans of how you’re going to deal with the situation. If you have got a
lack of funding from the County Council, how are you going to put a plan
in place to try and get these roads repaired, because the truth is, as
people step out of their doors they see potholes and they see uneven
pavements and they say the Council isn’t up to the job. That’s a very
visible sign that the Council isn’t up to the job, and if the Council
can’t take a pride in Bedford, then how can we expect the public to take
a pride in Bedford, and the public will say if you can’t be trusted to
deal with holes in the road, then you can’t be trusted with the things
that happen behind closed doors. And there is a hidden cost in not doing
it, because if people go out of their doors, the frail and the elderly
and they fall over, then they’re liable to hurt themselves and that’s
increased cost, not just for the Council but for our Health Services as
well. I don’t find the answer acceptable, I’m sorry.
Tell us - what do you think?
This is an important issue and damage is caused to vehicles and injuries
to people through failure to carry out essential maintenance is
disgraceful. The response of the Cabinet was typically complacent, they
just blamed the County Council and said it would cost more money. No
evidence was provided that Bedford tax payers are getting the best value
for their money. No plans given as to how the Borough Council is working
to cut down on the months we wait for potholes to be filled. Whilst we
all know that responsibility for the backlog of essential resurfacing
work lies mainly with the Tory run County Council, the Borough Council
must do more than just sit on its hands. If it is serious about unitary
status, then it needs to be more responsible and learn that it cannot
just pass the blame onto somebody else.
There is a breathtaking arrogance in this administration which refuses
to be accountable, and rubbishes criticism of its poor performance. We
are all fed up with the war being waged between the super egos of the
Borough and County Council and the excuse which it gives for each to
blame the other for shoddy service. In the meantime it is the people of
Bedford who suffer for their neglect.
Please tell us your views!
Liberal Democrats are
sometimes criticised because we pay so much attention to getting roads
repaired, but we believe that potholes and badly maintained pavements
are dangerous and can cause very serious accidents to road users and
pedestrians..
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