'Not enough cash' for vital road repairs

9:46am Thursday 22nd May 2008

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NOT enough cash has been put aside to pay for vital road repairs in Prestwich.

The council's highways office has made just £108,000 available for unclassified roads maintenance in Prestwich from now until next April.

The road in most urgent need - Fairway - would cost £45,000 more than the entire budget.

Other needy cases revealed this week (in order of priority) on a list of Prestwich's 12 most damaged roads are: Sunny Drive (£17,862); Meade Hill Road (£33,926); Oaklands Drive (£26,575); West Meade (£46,084); Downham Crescent (£12,243); Cuckoo Lane (£30,961); Mount Road (£76,510); Barnhill Drive (£28,644); Pennant Drive (£10,659); Mowbray Avenue (£44,938) and Parrenthorn Road (£115,194).

Six of those roads were supposed to be repaired in the last 12 months, but were left untouched because of a lack of council funding.

Some of the roads were deemed by the council to have "failed" - they have got so bad that vehicles could be damaged if they drive down them.

When the £108,000 budget was announced at last Thursday's meeting of Prestwich Local Area Partnership (LAP), it was slammed by chairman, Councillor Vic D'Albert, who said the cash was so insufficient, the LAP would not even be deciding how to spend it.

And Ian Appleton, Bury Council's principal engineer, agreed. He was responding to several complaints from people concerned that many roads would remain in a poor state for years to come.

Councillor D'Albert said: "When the total amount is £108,000 and just one of the 12 projects costs more than that, that doesn't leave us in a very strong position. We will need to see what we can do to address this matter."

Councillor Donal O'Hanlon, said: "I would like to know exactly in detail how these figures are arrived at.

"This really isn't enough to even make a start in what we want to achieve and, unsurprisingly, people living on these roads aren't going to be happy about a longer wait."

In response, Mr Appleton said: "We agree that the highways budget is inadequate.

"The budget is allocated based on the total number of miles of unclassified roads in each partnership area.

"Obviously, the vast majority of the department's overall spending goes on major roads."

Mr Appleton said he would present more information to ward councillors, who plan to lobby the council for more cash.

A Bury Council spokesman said the road repair issue would be discussed at the next Town Centre Regeneration Working Group on June 12.