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County councils

Nottinghamshire's Roads to Face Review Amid "Shocking" State of Infrastructure

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The county council, now led by Reform UK, will launch a review into the state of Nottinghamshire's roads, following criticism of short-term repairs and a lack of communication with residents. The review aims to improve the highways network, which has suffered from underfunding by the government over the past two decades. Councillor Mick Barton, the Reform leader of the county council, attributes the dire need for improvement to government financial restraints on councils, resulting in a cut of £4 billion per year from the road budget since 2005.

Key Takeaways:

  • The county council will launch a review into the state of Nottinghamshire's roads, focusing on short-term repairs and communication with residents.
  • Councillor Mick Barton attributes the dire need for improvement to government financial restraints on councils, resulting in a cut of £4 billion per year from the road budget since 2005.
  • The review will prioritize working with Via East Midlands, the company that maintains the county's highways network, to deliver improvements.
  • Councillor Barton wants the review to be finished by the autumn, with work to be chaired by cabinet member Bert Bingham.
  • The review will look into issues including maximising the return on highways spending.
  • Recent issues with road repairs included a team of council workers being sent back to fix an "embarrassing" job in Stapleford, which began to crumble within hours.
  • The previous Conservative administration allocated around £20 million for Nottinghamshire's highways network over the coming year, focusing on longer-term repairs instead of "patchwork" jobs.
  • Councillor Barton emphasizes the need for repairs that will last longer and criticizes government spending on other projects, such as HS2, which has cost £150 billion.

Statistics:

  • The government has cut £4 billion per year from the road budget since 2005.
  • Nottinghamshire's highways network is maintained by Via East Midlands, which has returned over £2.6 million in dividends to the county council since 2016.
  • The contract with Via East Midlands has been extended until March 2031, following a cross-party vote in September last year.
  • The previous Conservative administration allocated £20 million for Nottinghamshire's highways network over the coming year.
  • HS2 has cost £150 billion.

Sources:

  • A NEW review will be launched into how the "shocking" state of the county's roads can be improved, oliver.pridmore@reachplc.com
  • Councillor Mick Barton, Reform leader of the county council
  • Nottinghamshire county council
  • Reform UK
  • Via East Midlands

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