Roads ‘starved of cash by county council’ claim (From Gazette)

Roads ‘starved of cash by county council’ claim

9:50pm Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

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NORTH east Essex’s roads are being starved of cash, it has been claimed.

In the past two years, more than half as much again has been spent on repairing and maintaining roads in the middle or west of the county than it has on routes in Colchester and Tendring.

From 2008 to 2009, the total spent on roadworks in north east Essex was £6.2million, compared with nearly £10.1million on routes in Uttlesford, Harlow, Epping and Brentwood and £9.7million in Chelmsford, Braintree and Maldon.

This year, Essex County Council set aside £8.1million for Colchester and Tendring, compared with £13.7million for the west of the county and £12million for mid Essex.

In total over the past two years, £14.3million has been budgeted for roadworks in the north east of the county, compared with £21.7million in mid Essex, despite both districts having a similar population.

Dave Harris, Labour borough councillor for Berechurch, Colchester, said he felt Colchester and Tendring were missing out. He said: “We are the poor relations in this.

“You only have to drive around Colchester and the surrounding areas to to see the effects of that gap in the budget.

“There are some really good people who work for the county council, but those at the top are starving us of cash.

“It beggars belief nearly double is going to the other side of the county when there are some roads in my ward that have been waiting to be fixed for three years.”

He was backed by Michael Clarke, of Sycamore Road, Greenstead, whose car was written-off after it hit a pothole.

He said: “The county council seems to be on top of the roads in Chelmsford.

“I even saw one being thoroughly resurfaced instead of the piece-by-piece patching we get, which just doesn’t work.

“In Colchester, I have seen bus drivers bumping along. You would think they were on a country track.”

Bob Russell, Colchester’s MP, said: “This comes as no great surprise. It is yet more proof that Essex County Council treats Colchester in a lesser fashion to the rest of Essex, and to Chelmsford in particular.”

The county council says the annual spend for services such as drainage, road markings and filling in potholes in each area is calculated fairly using the road type, length and the area’s population density.

It said annual condition surveys also identified areas with the greatest need Michael Page, a county council spokesman, added: “Road length needs to be taken into account when looking into the amount budgeted for each area, as, for example, the mid area of Essex has 2,504.1km of maintainable highway, compared with 1,541.8km in the east area.

“It would be simply wrong to suggest that certain parts of the county are favoured over others.

“We will always seek to make funding available for areas that require it most.”