LABOUR’S local chair says repairing local roads must be key for Staffordshire County Council’s next administration.
Voters will head to the polls on 1st May to decide on their new elected representatives.
They will have responsibility for a range of budgets across the country, including highways.
Cllr Russ Bragger, who chairs Labour’s local group, said addressing the poor state of local roads should be high on the agenda of those in power.
His comments come after an RAC report said around 8% of Staffordshire’s roads were rated as ‘red’ and requiring significant repairs
Cllr Bragger said:
“We’ve reported potholes to the Conservative-controlled council again and again.
“What astonishes me isn’t just that the policy seems to be to allow roads to get into bad repair, but the number of times we’ve reported a pothole and been told it’s not bad enough to fix.
“That’s not about safety or damage – that’s a policy decision to say ‘we don’t care’ about the neglect of our county’s roads.”
Mr Bragger said that the Government had demonstrated a desire to solve problems with local roads through an additional £15.6million of funding for Staffordshire.
“Unlike other parties at these local elections, Labour’s focus is on rolling up our sleeves and focusing on the things that actually matter.
“It’ll be a very clear choice next Thursday – fixing potholes and making things better with Labour, or culture wars and sniping from the sidelines with Reform.”
A full list of candidates standing in Lichfield and Burntwood at the Staffordshire County Council elections can be found here.
