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Published:
March 4, 2009
Mayor hits out at County
Council over "worrying" state of town's
roads
Burnham-On-Sea's Mayor has this week called on Somerset County
Council to repair the "worryingly poor" condition of
many roads in the town.
 Cllr
Peter Burridge-Clayton says a winter of harsh weather has left
many roads littered with deep pot holes and crumbling surfaces
which pose a danger to cyclists and vehicles.
"Many
roads in the town are in a very poor condition and the County
Council needs to sort them out as a priority," he told Burnham-On-Sea.com
while visiting Westfield Road, where a long line of pot holes
is causing concern, as pictured here.
"The
holes here are several inches deep and there are many others like
them across Burnham and Highbridge. A cyclist could easily be
injured and vehicles can be damaged."
He
says the condition of the roads is made "more worrying"
because Somerset County Council has cut its pot hole repair budget
as
part of a cost reduction exercise.
Burnham
County Councillor Mike Facey confirmed to Burnham-On-Sea.com:
"Incredibly, the county budget for pot hole repairs has been
cut by around £1.25m, irrespective of a nine per cent increase
in funding from central government. This means many roads across
the county may well have to wait to be repaired."
But
a spokesman for Somerset County Council said on Wednesday (March
4th): "Last year, Somerset County Council declared it would
add an extra £1.25m of funding as a one-off capital investment
to the highways budget. This one-off payment was for specific
projects. The budget has therefore returned to what it was previously.
There is a revenue budget of £3m for safety repairs, and
pothole repairs are included in this budget."
Pictured
is Burnham's Mayor Cllr Peter Burridge-Clayton in Westfield Road
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