Council leader ‘Seriously Worried’ about the basic safety of the district’s roads

The poor state of repair and the safety of roads across East Cambridgeshire is being highlighted in a letter from District Council leader Anna Bailey.

Writing to Lucy Nethsingha, the Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, which is responsible for highways, Cllr Bailey said she was “seriously worried” about the basic safety and “alarmed” about the lack of maintenance on roads which were not even being considered for repair.

She added: “This is being reinforced by recent feedback from residents of our district who are raising this with me on a daily basis. They are suffering damage to their vehicles and accidents caused by the poor condition of our roads.

“This is a pressing issue that requires significant and urgent attention.”

Cllr Bailey is requesting Cambridgeshire County Council officials rapidly convene a meeting to discuss the freeing up of significant funds for maintaining the highways.

At a meeting of its Highways Committee on 7th March a budget of around £700,000 was agreed for spending on carriageway and footway maintenance, including cycle routes in East Cambridgeshire.

Cllr Bailey added: “This is not about blame – I am fully aware that many of Cambridgeshire’s roads have a very poor sub structure, but it is clear that the County Council must take steps to address this issue. Doing nothing is not a responsible option.”

Press release from East Cambridgeshire District Council

Councillor Lucy Nethsingha, Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council

By Email

17th March 2023

Dear Lucy

CAMBRIDGESHIRE HIGHWAYS MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME

I am becoming increasingly alarmed about the lack of adequate maintenance of our roads in East Cambridgeshire and beyond.  This has been reinforced by recent feedback from residents of our district who are raising this with me on a daily basis.  They are suffering damage to their vehicles and accidents caused by the poor condition of our roads.

There are roads in East Cambridgeshire that I am seriously worried about in terms of their basic safety; this is a pressing issue that requires significant and urgent attention.  

It is increasingly obvious that not enough money is being made available to the Highways teams to keep up with necessary repairs.  The lack of money means they are totally unable to properly prioritise repairs as the sheer volume of work that is needed is simply overwhelming.

I am also concerned about the longer term programme run by the Projects Team.  Taking two local roads that I am personally familiar with as examples, the Hundred Foot Bank and Black Bank, I understand these roads will not even be considered for anything other than minor repairs for at least five years, and that even then, there is no guarantee that they will be prioritised for proper rebuilding work.  It seems that there is no method for non A roads to ever make it to the top of the funding list.  These problems are not confined to minor roads.  The A10, particularly in the Littleport area, is in a terrible state of repair.  

I have had conversations with staff in the Highways department who are doing the best they can with the funding they have available, but it is clear that these issues can only be resolved at a political and senior management level.

It would be really helpful if you could travel on some of these roads to understand just how poor a condition they are in; I believe you will be shocked to experience them, particularly with the knowledge that they have no prospect of repair.

I am requesting senior members of the Joint Administration to rapidly convene a meeting with your senior officers to review the Council’s spending decisions with the aim of freeing up significant additional funds for maintenance of our highways.  I don’t say this is easy and this is not about ‘blame’ (I am fully aware that many of Cambridgeshire’s roads have a very poor sub structure), but it is clear that the County Council must take steps to address this issue.  Doing nothing is not a responsible option. 

We have roads in East Cambridgeshire that are literally falling apart; it simply cannot be right that this is left to an overwhelmed repairs budget that will already be allocated for the year on 1st April and with absolutely no prospect of more substantial work being undertaken through the Projects team.

I look forward to hearing from you on the above matters which are of significant concern to residents of East Cambridgeshire.

Yours sincerely

Councillor Anna Bailey

Leader of the Council