'Shameful Spin' over Highway Repairs as County Leaves Bedford's Roads to Crumble (North Bedfordshire Liberal Democrats)

North Bedfordshire Liberal Democrats <bedford@bedfordlibdems.org>

'Shameful Spin' over Highway Repairs as County Leaves Bedford's Roads to Crumble

March 6, 2009 3:49 PM

Bedfordshire County Council are directing all of the funding for a new road maintenance campaign away from residential roads in around Bedford and Kempston, leaving residents to suffer as streets deteriorate further

Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats have revealed that the County Council's announcement of an extra £400,000 to mend Bedfordshire's crumbling streets does not include any funding at all for residential roads in Bedford and Kempston.

The Lib Dems have attacked the Tories' 'shameful spin' over the 'Wotholes' campaign, which was announced following the recent poor weather. The County Council claims that it will help restore 'Bedfordshire's highways,' but the campaign will not include any additional repair work at all on residential roads in Bedford, Kempston, Elstow, Biddenham and Bromham. The entire fund is to be directed away from local roads in these areas, leaving thousands of residents to contend with crumbling, unsafe streets.

Commenting on the issue, Bedford Borough Liberal Democrat Deputy Group Leader Cllr David Sawyer said: "Residents of Bedford and Kempston are being made to suffer from the Tories' continued under-investment in their roads even while desperate, last-ditch efforts are made elsewhere in the county to improve matters before the County Council's demise on 31st March. The state of local roads has been made even worse following the recent poor weather, which caused the many existing potholes to expand even further. It is scandalous that even though the County Council acknowledges this problem and claims that maintaining Bedfordshire's roads is a 'top priority,' it is not spending even a penny more on residential roads in Bedford and Kempston to deal with the crisis.'

"For the Tory County Council to suggest that extra maintenance work will be carried out across Bedfordshire is just a further insult to residents of Bedford and Kempston, who have been let down once again. What residents need are safe roads, not more shameful spin from the Tories. Bedfordshire County Council charges residents the second highest council tax level in the country, and in return local residents are forced to contend with crumbling, unfit roads and paths. Sadly, this is a perfect symbol of the way that the departing Tory County Council has treated local residents in Bedford Borough."

Bedford, Kempston, Elstow, Biddenham and Bromham comprise the 'Section 42' area, in which the Borough Council carries out highway maintenance under a funding agreement with the County Council. Despite the County Council's allocation of an extra £400,000 for road maintenance elsewhere in the county, no additional money at all will be spent on residential roads in this area in and around Bedford.

The Liberal Democrats were successful recently in securing an additional £1 million for road and footpath maintenance in the first budget for the Bedford Borough unitary authority to tackle the severe backlog of repairs that has built up under the Tory County Council.