PLANS to pause new highway repairs for three months have been described as “baffling”.
The Reform UK administration at Staffordshire County Council said it would will hold off on starting any “non-essential” projects over the coming weeks unless it can be shown they will not further impact key routes.
Cllr Peter Mason, cabinet member for strategic highways, said:
He said:
“Since taking on the role, it is very clear to me that we need to do more to improve the condition of Staffordshire’s roads.
“This does come with inevitable disruption which is to be expected, but we must do everything we can to minimise this. This includes changing how we programme these works, so not so many are done at the same time.”
But the Conservative opposition group said the delay meant the summer period – where roads are less busy during the holidays and daylight hours are longer – meant roads could suffer in the long term.
Cllr Simon Tagg, Conservative shadow spokesman for strategic highways, said:
“We all want the council to fix the roads with minimal disruption, but it is frankly baffling that Reform UK has chosen the peak summer months – when road repairs are easier, quicker and more cost-effective – to halt a whole list of highway repairs across the county.
“This will simply store up problems for the autumn and winter, when weather conditions deteriorate and small defects become serious hazards.”
The Conservative group is calling on the Reform UK leadership to publish clear data on how the pause will impact the backlog of road repairs across the county.
Cllr Tagg added:
“The previous Conservative administration at the county council earmarked an extra £30million for highway repairs in March this year, including funding to help clear the lower-category pothole backlog after the bad winter weather.
“Reform UK’s effective three-month shutdown in Staffordshire, without proper consultation or explanation, simply doesn’t make sense.
“We all want to reduce disruption on our roads, but this short-term break will mean more long-term pain.
“We have long campaigned for councils to have more powers to control utility roadworks, and we will continue to support calls for those as well as 48 hour limit which is similar to measures the previous council leadership had put forward.”
