Motion to give local councils more power over highway maintenance is struck down

A motion put forward at a full council meeting by Coun Jason Zadrozny (Ash Ind), Ashfield Council leader and Independent Group leader at County Hall, sought to investigate whether borough and district councils are best placed to maintain roads, rather than the county council.

It also sought to consult local councils’ leaders and chief executives and re-establish Manage and Operate Partnerships (MOPS)

MOPS delegated highway works such as resurfacing, patching and drain repairs to the smaller councils but these partnerships ended in 2012.

Coun Zadrozny said: “Complaints about crumbling roads, unsafe pavements and blocked gullys dominate every consultation, every council surgery and every conversation we have with those we are elected to represent.

“Yet, year after year, this council promises things will improve and year after year we fail to deliver meaningful change.

“Our residents deserve better, they deserve a council prepared to try new approaches, re-think what isn’t working and listen to those closest to the problems.”

Coun Zadrozny clarified that the motion did not commit the council into delegating any powers but to consider the proposal.

He added compensation claims for poor road and pavement surfaces continue to climb along with flooding from blocked drains.

He said: “The public is paying the price for this inertia – why should they continue to suffer while we refuse to even examine alternatives?”

Coun Neil Clarke (Con), cabinet member for transport and environment, said that there were historical problems with communication and the reporting of issues due to flooding crossing council lines.

He added: “I get the sense this motion has nothing to do with making sure our roads are properly maintained and improved, rather it’s a pre-empted strike on behalf of Ashfield Council against what they fear will be imposed by the devolution white paper – we need to be waiting for it.

“I can understand why the Ashfield councillor and Broxtowe councillor (Coun Steve Carr (Ind), who seconded the motion) might be motivated to promote and protect the borough and district councils – if that’s the case I think they have chosen a weak example.”

Coun Clarke also spoke of the council’s investment of an extra £467,000 in unblocking gullys, with more than 100,000 of them being unblocked as part of a scheme.

Coun Kate Foale (Lab), Labour leader at County Hall, agreed with Coun Clarke and spoke of the financial savings to the council since ceasing the MOPS.

She said: “I find it hard to believe the Independents are seriously suggesting now it’s the time to be spending seven-figure sums bringing back a discredited 12-year policy.

“How many times today have we seen petitions, constituency speeches where people have told you what needs to be done in districts and boroughs?

"That’s our job, we don’t need to delegate power back downwards for this to happen.”

She added she believes local government reorganisation, as posed by the Government, is likely and called the motion ‘pointless’.

The Government’s upcoming devolution white paper is to discuss further devolution and local government reorganisation- meaning two-tier authorities could be made unitary.

Coun Richard Jackson (Con) questioned the point of taking money away from county road repairs, and giving it to each individual council.

He said: “Is that what residents really want to see? No it is not.

“They want to see the highways repaired – they couldn’t care less who repairs the highways.”

Coun Ben Bradley (Con) responded to councillor comments about delayed gully cleaning and Tory austerity.

He said there was “a ‘lot of nonsense being peddled’ and clarified gully cleaning has a daily schedule.

He added: “We don’t live in a vacuum, we live in the real world, funding pressures are a real issue on our services.

"We’d love to put £100m more into roads if it existed but it doesn’t.

“The austerity doesn’t exist either, our funding has gone up every every year for the last six or seven years.”