What’s gone wrong with essential local services?
Why do our roads literally crumble away every winter?
The reason is this government’s relentless pressure on council funding. An astonishing 20% of councils, including scores of Conservative-run administrations, now say they’re in imminent danger of bankruptcy. Potholes are very visible, but they’re just the canary in the coal mine.
The Lib Dems support the Local Government Association’s call for an extra £4 billion over two years, which is relatively cheap for something with such a huge daily impact. This government isn’t cutting costs - it’s cutting corners.
Following a winter of unprecedented damage to West Sussex roads, Liberal Democrat councillors are bringing a Notice of Motion to WSCC on Monday 17th July asking the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport to look again at the emergency repair regime.
Towns across West Sussex are suffering from a ‘plague of roadworks’ as competing broadband companies dig up the same roads again and again, said Cllr John Milne (Horsham, Riverside) at a meeting of West Sussex County Council on 26th May.
Liberal Democrat councillors at WSCC have welcomed the allocation of more money for highway maintenance after their proposal to do this a year ago. However, they warned that with no promise of increased funding beyond this year that this could be nothing more than cynical electioneering by Conservatives with one eye on the May elections.
