Borough's Older Streets on Road to Ruin

Older roads in Bedford Borough are not being repaired because the works are too expensive, despite an urgent need for maintenance work and resurfacing.

A draft five-year plan for road maintenance drawn up by the County Council reveals that many older roads have been passed over for much-needed repairs because of insufficient funding.

Commenting on the issue, Liberal Democrat Councillor for De Parys Ward David Sawyer said:

"Shamefully, older roads in urgent need of repair are being allowed to deteriorate further because yard for yard they are more expensive to resurface. In my ward, for instance, this means that older roads such as De Parys Avenue, Park Avenue and many of the streets in the Goldington Avenue area are either a long way down the list of works or are not due to see any much-needed work at all in the next five years.

"The County Council's roads contractor Amey has told me that due to limited funds it has to prioritise work on newer, easier to maintain roads to help the council meet the performance targets set by the government.'

"Works should not be limited to cheaper jobs which make the figures look good. Years of under funding by the County Council for road maintenance in Bedford Borough is forcing residents who use older, heavily used roads and pavements to put up with deteriorating and often hazardous conditions. The County Council, and the new Unitary Authority from next year, must make funds available in order to bring all our streets and pavements up to a satisfactory standard. That should include the older more expensive roads as well as the worn out newer roads."