Borough councillors declare 'roads emergency'

Councillor Scott Spencer said the "conditions of our roads make it very nerve-racking as a parent"

Councillors have declared a "roads emergency" across Staffordshire.

Members of Stafford Borough Council said the emergency was due to the condition of the borough's roads in a council meeting on Tuesday

They also supported calls for Staffordshire County Council, the area’s highways authority, to provide a plan of action to tackle the issues.

However, Jeremy Pert, Conservative opposition leader and member of the country council, said challenging weather had been an issue, and the council had put extra investment into road repairs.

"I ride a motorcycle, and I also cycle with my two young girls," said councillor Scott Spencer, who presented the motion.

"Both of these activities are dangerous at the best of times, but the conditions of our roads make it very nerve-racking as a parent."

He added some residents had told him they opt not to drive for fear of damaging their vehicles.

There were also calls for more frequent quality control inspections by the county council and the introduction of financial penalties for inadequate work.

Investment

Opposition group leader Pert said the previous wet winter "fundamentally undermined the quality of the road network".

He added that the council had invested more money into road repairs.

"Back in May, the county council put an extra £8m into fixing the county’s roads, they currently put £42m into operational repairs and £83m into capital schemes," he said.

"We’ve seen £5.6m spent across six schemes in Stafford Borough (including) Radford Bank, Weeping Cross, Gaol Square and Newcastle Road in Cotes Heath."

He added that £5m had been spent over 191 locations doing patching and repair work.

"My concern is some of this motion is backwards looking and relates to something that has been a problem the county [council], which is the highways authority, has dealt with and done."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.