Proposed by: Cllr Wendy Randall
Seconded by: Cllr Bob Purser
“More than 9,000 potholes were reported on West Northamptonshire roads last year, an increase of over 1,300% from the previous year (662). But the number of potholes West Northamptonshire Council is repairing has fallen by -14% over the past three years and it has subsequently paid out £7,212 in compensation to drivers since November 2021. Furthermore, the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee identified that there will be a £1.9m reduction in spending on road maintenance in next year’s budget.
On 26 February 2024, the UK government announced its Local Transport Fund; £4.7 billion worth of investment to improve local transport connections from ending the HS2 North project. West Northamptonshire Council received an allocation of £162,831,000 from 2025-2032 to ‘invest in transformative and ambitious transport improvements’ and improve connectivity.
This Council:
· Agrees to share with all members the forthcoming guidance from the Department for Transport on the scope of the funding and the council’s delivery requirements
And Council calls on Cabinet to set out clear plans for residents on how thus funding will be used to improve:
· The condition of our highways and pavements
· The local transport and bus network
· The council’s active transport offer”
Minutes:
Councillor Randall proposed and Councillor Purser seconded:
“More than 9,000 potholes were reported on West Northamptonshire roads last year, an increase of over 1,300% from the previous year (662). But the number of potholes West Northamptonshire Council is repairing has fallen by -14% over the past three years and it has subsequently paid out £7,212 in compensation to drivers since November 2021. Furthermore, the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee identified that there will be a £1.9m reduction in spending on road maintenance in next year’s budget.
On 26 February 2024, the UK government announced its Local Transport Fund; £4.7 billion worth of investment to improve local transport connections from ending the HS2 North project. West Northamptonshire Council received an allocation of £162,831,000 from 2025-2032 to ‘invest in transformative and ambitious transport improvements’ and improve connectivity.
This Council:
· Agrees to share with all members the forthcoming guidance from the Department for Transport on the scope of the funding and the council’s delivery requirements
And Council calls on Cabinet to set out clear plans for residents on how this funding will be used to improve:
· The condition of our highways and pavements
· The local transport and bus network
· The council’s active transport offer”
The Chairman notified Council that an amendment to the motion had been received and copies of it had been circulated to Members.
Councillor Larratt proposed and Councillor Bagot-Webb seconded the amendment:
“The number of potholes reported during the first 7 months of the new contract with Kier was 5,236, and the number repaired during this time was 5,993, and during the whole of the current financial year to date there have been 10,440 potholes reported and 12,216 repaired.
The Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee identified that government allocated us an additional £1.9m in funding for road maintenance in 2023/24 and that this has been reduced to £1.3m in 2024/25, a reduction in spending of £600k on road maintenance in next year’s budget.
Data collected both internally and externally shows that the Council is making some improvements on the highway network. We are not alone in having diminishing budgets to deal with highway maintenance and growing demands limit what is available. We are investing in innovative solutions and new ways of working to prevent potholes rather than fix them. Over the next year we plan to share far more of our data with stakeholders and invite them to help shape how we can best deliver our service. The current contract is not even 2 years old and as a new council we have focussed on setting good foundations.
On 26 February 2024, the UK government announced its Network North Local Transport Fund; £4.7 billion worth of investment to improve local transport connections from ending the HS2 North project. West Northamptonshire Council has been allocated £162,831,000 from 2025-2032 to ‘invest in transformative and ambitious transport improvements’ and improve connectivity.
Guidance concerning the use and the profiling of the additional Network North Local Transport Fund has not yet been provided but is expected in the coming weeks. We plan to meet with all stakeholders to understand what priorities we have and what we can do within the constraints of the funding and associated guidance.
This Council:
· Agrees to share with all members the forthcoming guidance from the Department for Transport on the scope of the funding and the Council’s delivery requirements
Notes that Cabinet will set out clear plans for residents on how this funding will be used to improve:
· The condition of our highways and pavements
· The highway network, including junctions
· Journey times for car and bus users by tackling congestion
· Our streets so they are safe to walk children to school and increasing accessibility for all.”
Councillor Larratt advised of an error in paragraph 2 of the amendment and made the following correction:
“The Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee identified that government allocated us an additional £1.9m in funding for road maintenance in 2023/24, plus a further £1.3m from HS2 savings. This has been reduced to £1.3m in 2024/25, a reduction in additional budget funding by the government of £1.9m on road maintenance in next year’s budget.”
Councillor Randall, as the proposer of the motion, did not accept the amendment.
Council debated the amendment and made the following comments:
· Roads in West Northamptonshire were so bad that vehicles were regularly damaged; the AA advice was that vehicle owners should be able to claim against local authorities as highway maintenance was their responsibility.
· The financial situation was getting worse year after year and there were still no plans to fix West Northamptonshire’s roads; the amendment amounted to self-justification.
· Potholes also affected cyclists and e-scooter users and with greater consequences.
· The omission of any mention of active travel in the amendment was concerning.
· It was not fair to expect road users to keep vehicles in check when local authorities and highways England could not be compelled to keep roads in good repair.
· The amendment was seen as an attempt to whitewash a serious and dangerous situation; There was no outcomes approach and plan to improve local transport and cycle and scooter ways.
· There were no suggestions at the budget meeting, or any budget scrutiny meetings, as to where additional moneys to fund highways would come from.
· Until funding for Adults and Children’s social care was reformed nationally, funding for other services would continue to decrease.
Upon a vote, the amendment was carried.
Council then debated the amended motion and made the following comments:
· As well as insufficient funding, the strategy of making temporary repairs using improper materials was failing. Members were told this in a meeting with officers in 2021 and nothing had changed in the meantime.
· Different areas and topics were addressed in silos within the council; active travel was impacted by cyclists and scooters being disproportionately affected by potholes in terms of safety. The Council had a legal and moral responsibility to take action.
· The Council was not creating affordable alternatives for people not to use their own cars. A modal shift was needed in terms of how people travel.
· The Council made a decision to outsource on of its most important services and a private company was making huge profits out of communities’ vulnerabilities.
· The Asphalt Industry Alliance published its ALARM report recently and it showed marked deterioration in roads across the country. Local authorities who had highways responsibility saw a 45% cut to freeze spending and the catch-up bill for England was £16.3 billion. 53% of all roads had less than 15 years of structural life.
· Potholes were the main issue faced by residents. It was noted that the Council could not afford to run the recently purchased pothole machine full-time.
Upon a vote, the amended motion was carried.