Council leader reveals £25m road repairs plan

10:10am Sunday 6th January 2013 in News

Will £25m be enough to rid the county of all its potholes? Will £25m be enough to rid the county of all its potholes?

IN AN open letter to Bucks residents, Cllr Martin Tett, Leader of Buckinghamshire County Council, reveals he hopes to embark upon a new £25 million programme to repair roads in the area and also discusses the ongoing battle against HS2.

Read his thoughts below:

We have much to be proud of in 2012, although it was a tough year for many in Bucks. We were a major host for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. Dorney Lake gave Team GB its first Gold Medal and Stoke Mandeville was proudly recognised as the birthplace of the Paralympics.

As we enter 2013, top priorities for me are continuing to freeze council tax, pressing on with investment in our roads, carrying forward our opposition to HS2, and helping grow local job opportunities.

Last year there were some encouraging signs in the local economy and in 2013 we’ll continue to work with our district council colleagues and local businesses through the new Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership to stimulate jobs and growth – vitally important if we are to provide opportunities for our young people. Particularly important for long term success is securing High Speed Broadband across all of Bucks, and driving up skills for our young people by championing modern apprenticeships.

Investing in our roads and railways is also essential. We have just finished a £30 million road resurfacing programme and I will be asking the Council to approve a new £25 million programme to start this Spring.

We have resurfaced almost 300 roads but I recognise far more needs to be done if we are to catch up from long neglect and meet the expectations of our residents. Importantly, we are also investing in the planned new East West Rail service to open up the Chiltern Line to Aylesbury by providing better links to the growing centres of Milton Keynes, Reading, Oxford and Bedford.

You won’t be surprised to know that I remain determined that we will protect Buckinghamshire’s unique and beautiful environment. This will involve continued opposition to the discredited HS2 project and a strong challenge to changes in planning laws if they encourage ‘urban sprawl’.

A priority for me has been holding council tax unchanged for a third year despite rising costs. I am determined that we should do this whilst protecting our frontline services and supporting our voluntary and community organisations. These are certainly tough financial times for local government. A reduction of 28% in our funding has required making significant savings, principally in our staffing and ‘back office’. I recognise we have taken some tough decisions, such as introducing charges for home to school transport, but these were essential. I would particularly like to thank our staff, who have contributed so much during difficult times.

In conclusion I am really optimistic about this country. 2013 will begin to see our economy turn the corner and I want the County Council, in partnership with our colleagues in other local Councils and Community organisations play its part in driving economic recovery whilst still delivering vital services for the benefit of all Buckinghamshire residents.

I hope that you all have a very happy new year.

Comments(28)

washondo says...
4:38pm Sun 6 Jan 13

Perhaps we could know where south of Aylesbury the £30m was spent .
Accountancy fees?

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geoffW says...
6:12pm Sun 6 Jan 13

washondo wrote:
Perhaps we could know where south of Aylesbury the £30m was spent .
Accountancy fees?
It certainly wasn't spent in Aylesbury either. I know to my cost.

I would also like to know who exactly goes out and inspects the work done. I have driven along roads that have supposedly be resurfaced and parts are already breaking up. I am not talking about temporary repairs.

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The Judge says...
6:51pm Sun 6 Jan 13

WHEN IS HE GOING TO REVEAL THE MONEY SPENT BY WDC ON LEGAL FEES IN THE HIGH COURT?
WHY THE RETICENCE......THE JUDGE HAD DEMANDED AN INVESTIGATION AND TRANSPARENCY AFTER ALL ITS YOUR MONEY.
AS FOR THE ROADS THEY ARE SHOCKING AND DUE TO NEGLECT WE ARE HAVING TO SPEND MORE TO FIX THE PATCHED UP HOLES THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PROPERLY DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE - WHAT WAS IT CALLED "SPLODGE AND BODGE"?
THE JUDGE CALLED FOR TETT TO RESIGN IF COUNCIL TAX BILLS ARE NOT REDUCED BY 10% THIS YEAR.
JUDGE

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BRANKO says...
7:04pm Sun 6 Jan 13

WOULD THAT INCLUDE THE RESURFACING OF BERKELEY ROAD IN LOUDWATER ,,,,,,,OR JUST PATCHING UP ????????
WHY ARE WE ALL PAYING ROAD TAX ???????????????
WE SHOULD ALL STOP PAYING ROAD TAX UNTIL ITS ALL SORTED !!!!

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miccles says...
7:41pm Sun 6 Jan 13

this leader is not interested in roads, and the state they are in, all he is interested in, and is his only priority is HS2, im sure alot of money which is supposed to be spent on other things goes on HS2.

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Contax says...
7:46pm Sun 6 Jan 13

If there is cash for HS2 which is not needed then surely the goverment could find the cash to do proper repairs to the entire road network in the UK. The roads are becoming dangerous as they have been neglected for so many years, each year potholes get filled in during the wet and freezing weather and the tarmac just breaks up again. They used to cut out pothole area, heat up with large gas gun, coat with tar then fill with tarmac. Over the years they have only bodged any repairs. The money from road tax would I expect well cover the cost if it was used just for the roads instead of a load of benefits which only those who know how to claim get most of them.

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yog says...
8:29pm Sun 6 Jan 13

Nothing at all to do with BCC elections in May!

They also promised to fix the roads in 2009 when they were elected.

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shaky2 says...
3:27am Mon 7 Jan 13

They could start by doing something with the dreadful state of the speed humps in Daws Hill Lane like get rid of ASP and since when have any government kept any promises we could be in for a long wait

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Cyclo says...
8:04am Mon 7 Jan 13

WHY ARE WE ALL PAYING ROAD TAX ???????????????

Is this not called Vehicle Excise Duty? Anyway the tax disc money just goes into the general tax take, it's not reserved for roads. That's why it's so non-sensical to tell cyclists they don't pay road tax!

In any case, the standard of road repairs is abysmal, everywhere there are repairs which fall apart soon after. I even know some potholes which have never repaired over the past three years ....

Let'a face it, the money provided for road repairs is spread so thinly that all we get is patching.

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geoffW says...
8:09am Mon 7 Jan 13

Contax wrote:
If there is cash for HS2 which is not needed then surely the goverment could find the cash to do proper repairs to the entire road network in the UK. The roads are becoming dangerous as they have been neglected for so many years, each year potholes get filled in during the wet and freezing weather and the tarmac just breaks up again. They used to cut out pothole area, heat up with large gas gun, coat with tar then fill with tarmac. Over the years they have only bodged any repairs. The money from road tax would I expect well cover the cost if it was used just for the roads instead of a load of benefits which only those who know how to claim get most of them.
HS2 IS needed ... by the politicians who know that by objecting to it they will lose substantial numbers of votes in the North, where HS2 is promoted as a way of reducing the North/South divide!

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cocobay says...
8:45am Mon 7 Jan 13

Cyclo wrote:
WHY ARE WE ALL PAYING ROAD TAX ??????????????? Is this not called Vehicle Excise Duty? Anyway the tax disc money just goes into the general tax take, it's not reserved for roads. That's why it's so non-sensical to tell cyclists they don't pay road tax! In any case, the standard of road repairs is abysmal, everywhere there are repairs which fall apart soon after. I even know some potholes which have never repaired over the past three years .... Let'a face it, the money provided for road repairs is spread so thinly that all we get is patching.
Vehicle Road Tax does not pay for the Road Repairs as stated & yes cyclists dont pay road tax as i am also a cyclist & driver, but some new cars dont pay road tax either...as they are now tax exempt because of emissions, so you can no longer use this claim..

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lo-belle says...
9:04am Mon 7 Jan 13

they should pull their fingers out and i would like to see Daws hill road done is appaling but worse than that is Bookerhill Road just of new road, its a major bus route and the road is awful i spend my life dodging the hole and wondering what damadge has already been done to my car

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MCarey says...
10:30am Mon 7 Jan 13

Four Ashes Road is horrendous, they patched it over recently and yet again its all worn away! Close the road dig the whole thing up and resurface it properly. the people on this side of Wycombe always lose out.

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Ivor'sbestfriend says...
10:38am Mon 7 Jan 13

cocobay wrote:
Cyclo wrote:
WHY ARE WE ALL PAYING ROAD TAX ??????????????? Is this not called Vehicle Excise Duty? Anyway the tax disc money just goes into the general tax take, it's not reserved for roads. That's why it's so non-sensical to tell cyclists they don't pay road tax! In any case, the standard of road repairs is abysmal, everywhere there are repairs which fall apart soon after. I even know some potholes which have never repaired over the past three years .... Let'a face it, the money provided for road repairs is spread so thinly that all we get is patching.
Vehicle Road Tax does not pay for the Road Repairs as stated & yes cyclists dont pay road tax as i am also a cyclist & driver, but some new cars dont pay road tax either...as they are now tax exempt because of emissions, so you can no longer use this claim..
What is this 'Vehicle Road Tax' you speak of?

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jayeatman says...
11:02am Mon 7 Jan 13

"We have just finished a £30 million road resurfacing programme and I will be asking the Council to approve a new £25 million programme to start this Spring." Talk about spin: Dressing up a £5m cut and then boasting about it!

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cocobay says...
11:02am Mon 7 Jan 13

Correction should just be Car Tax then. Council Tax is what pays for the services like road repairs right ?

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jayeatman says...
11:03am Mon 7 Jan 13

jayeatman wrote:
"We have just finished a £30 million road resurfacing programme and I will be asking the Council to approve a new £25 million programme to start this Spring." Talk about spin: Dressing up a £5m cut and then boasting about it!
And of course the BFP swallows it and mindlessly reprints the 'good news' as a headline!

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Ivor'sbestfriend says...
12:31pm Mon 7 Jan 13

cocobay wrote:
Correction should just be Car Tax then. Council Tax is what pays for the services like road repairs right ?
Not heard of 'Car Tax' either.

Road repairs are paid for from the general tax take.

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washondo says...
12:39pm Mon 7 Jan 13

Obviously BCC still think that painting roads is maintenance, and that roads are repaired by feeding their condition into a computer.
£25M won't pay for the shock absorbers broken in the last two years.

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The Judge says...
7:47pm Mon 7 Jan 13

TETT SHOULD BE FORCED TO RESIGN. HE HAS MISS-MANAGED FINANCES TO SUGGEST COUNCIL TAX PAYERS SHOULD FUND WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF GOVERNMENT VIA THE TAX SYSTEM.
WHAT ABOUT PROVIDING A COST ANALYSIS OF MONEY SPENT ON HS2 - WHT THE RETICENCE WHAT IS HE HIDING?
THE JUDGE DEMAND STEVE COHEN AT THE BFP TO SEEK AND PUBLISH THIS DATA WITHOUT DELAY.
JUDGE

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Drew70 says...
11:13pm Mon 7 Jan 13

Ivor'sbestfriend wrote:
cocobay wrote:
Correction should just be Car Tax then. Council Tax is what pays for the services like road repairs right ?
Not heard of 'Car Tax' either.

Road repairs are paid for from the general tax take.
The correct term these days is Vehicle Excise License. VEL.
It doesn't go towards roads maintenance any more, but added to the Government coffers as somebody has already stated.

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Honey33 says...
1:53am Tue 8 Jan 13

Recently Oakridge Road was re-surfaced and there is already big pothole there. I wonder if anybody had inspected the quality of work when it was being done or when was completed. It's such a waste of tax payers money with no accountability these days. Local roads are reduced to the quality of a third world country and things are in such shambles.

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shaky2 says...
4:52am Tue 8 Jan 13

The goverment buld more and more roads but seem to forget that they still have to be repaired. Fix the ones we already have first and make sure they are not bodged as seems to be the case.

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shaky2 says...
4:53am Tue 8 Jan 13

The goverment buld more and more roads but seem to forget that they still have to be repaired. Fix the ones we already have first and make sure they are not bodged as seems to be the case.

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Monte Cristo says...
1:12pm Tue 8 Jan 13

MCarey wrote:
Four Ashes Road is horrendous, they patched it over recently and yet again its all worn away! Close the road dig the whole thing up and resurface it properly. the people on this side of Wycombe always lose out.
I could not agree more, I very rarely use it but did recently . I could scarcely believe what a bodged up catastrophe it is, it is simply appalling.

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Monte Cristo says...
1:14pm Tue 8 Jan 13

What? They spent 30 minllion with little discernile improvement, and now think that 25 million will cover it?
he Government should shelve the HS2 debacle for atleast 5 years, and spend the cash on giving us all decent roads first.

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Ivor'sbestfriend says...
1:14pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Monte Cristo wrote:
MCarey wrote:
Four Ashes Road is horrendous, they patched it over recently and yet again its all worn away! Close the road dig the whole thing up and resurface it properly. the people on this side of Wycombe always lose out.
I could not agree more, I very rarely use it but did recently . I could scarcely believe what a bodged up catastrophe it is, it is simply appalling.
There is a pothole forming around a drain on Amersham Hill just before the train station.

They resurfaced the entire section of road there when they changed the layout of the junction. Obviously they did a good job of it . . .

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Monte Cristo says...
1:15pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Monte Cristo wrote:
What? They spent 30 minllion with little discernile improvement, and now think that 25 million will cover it? he Government should shelve the HS2 debacle for atleast 5 years, and spend the cash on giving us all decent roads first.
Sorry, should be "discernible"

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