Opposition welcome Notts roads review as ‘step forward’

The council has unveiled its vision to improve how it repairs the county’s roads and pavements, including moving towards a more permanent plan of road replacements rather than temporary pothole fixes.

Under the plan, due to be reviewed next week, the authority will discuss moving from a one-year to a three-year programme of road improvements.

This, Coun Neil Clarke, the council’s transport chairman says, will give residents ‘certainty’ over when roads will be repaired by the authority, with the previous one-year set-up found to be a ‘barrier to long-term planning’.

It comes after the Conservatives launched a cross-party highways panel to tackle what was described by some councillors as the ‘biggest issue on the doorsteps’ in May’s election.

Independent reviews were undertaken, which found the authority should prioritise permanent road replacements, shifting away from its current tactic of filling in potholes.

However, the council was told it should still use Viafix treatments – a form of cold asphalt repair which fills in specific holes – when necessary, to ‘protect the safety of road users’.

‘Step forward’

Commenting following the council’s announcement, opposition councillors have welcomed progress on the issue.

Coun Tom Hollis, member for Sutton West division and Independent Alliance spokesman on the transport committee, said: “This represents a step forward.

“It includes a reduction in the use of Viafix, the use of the better technologies available and the processes the council undertakes to make roads safer.

“I welcome the longer term, three-year plan to allocate funding.

“This needs to be flexible, however, to allow us to deal with the urgent issues that impact thousands of miles of highways that have been left in a state of disrepair over a decade of failure.”

Coun Ben Bradley, council leader and Mansfield MP, said: “When it comes to road maintenance, we [will] move away from trying to get the job done as quickly as possible, and instead focus on doing it right first time.

“Wherever possible, we’ll do a long-term repair or resurfacing rather than fill a pothole, and sort out other issues on the street while we’re there, rather than coming back.

“I’m confident over time residents will see a more effective service and better-quality outcomes on our roads.”

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