Agenda item

The Executive noted the petition from Full Council

The Chair invited Cllr Martyn Reuby of Corby Town Council to address the meeting. Cllr Reuby stated that he was speaking in support of a petition that had been submitted to the March meeting of Full Council and subsequently referred onto the Executive regarding potholes affecting the roads of North Northamptonshire. Cllr Reuby noted that the petition had gained significant traction and residents were very concerned regarding the state of the roads in the Council area, querying the status of an action plan to rectify issues. Cllr Reuby stated that the Council’s contractor, Kier, should be held to account and a clear action plan presented to indicate how the situation would be addressed.

The Chair thanked Cllr Reuby for his attendance before inviting Cllr Jim Hakewill to address the Executive. Cllr Hakewill called for the matter to be considered by the Council’s scrutiny function to understand why the roads were failing so badly compared to neighbouring areas when a new highways contract had only been awarded in September.

The Chair then invited the Executive Member for Highways, Travel and Assets, Cllr Graham Lawman to introduce the petition referral report. Cllr Lawman thanked the petition organisers for bringing the issue to Full Council and stated that the matter was of great concern to the Council, with weekly meetings being held with the Council’s Highways contractor, Kier to address the problem. The Council remained keen to receive advice as to the location of road defects which would be actioned utilising the relevant criteria for repair. In addition, Kier had surveyors out across the road network to identify defects for repair.

Cllr Lawman stated that the issue of highway maintenance was a national one, with a significant funding gap resulting in the Council undertaking repairs within its budget envelope, although a further £1.5m of taxpayers’ money had been committed towards highways upgrades in North Northamptonshire, with a further £1.4m provided by Government.

The meeting heard that a new annual plan with a listed schedule of works had been agreed and would be published on the Council website before the July meeting of Executive. A variety of other highways-related plans were also in the process of being finalised as the Council continued to look at every opportunity to improve the road network whilst seeking to ensure that as many quality first-time repairs were undertaken. In conclusion, Cllr Lawman noted that the answer to the issue lay in receiving additional funding from Government, an area that it continued to pursue.

Cllrs Helen Harrison and David Howes spoke to note that the Council was fully aware of the condition of roads in North Northamptonshire and wanted them to be in the best possible condition for its residents and businesses, although recent progress was being made in this regard.

Cllr David Brackenbury welcomed the ongoing work to prioritise road defects, whilst Cllr Harriet Pentland spoke to note that the Council understood the frustrations caused by the current condition of the road network and assured the public that the Executive was committed to addressing the matter.

The Chair spoke to reiterate that work on a highway improvement plan was already well underway and noted the additional £1.5m of funding from the Council and the £1.4m from Government that was beginning to make a positive difference to the roads of North Northamptonshire. The Chair stated that he was meeting with Kier later that day, with the Council and the contractor aligned to ensure the best roads road possible inside the available budget envelope.

The Executive noted the petition from Full Council and would continue to explore opportunities to address the situation as set out above.