Councillors in Stafford have declared a ‘roads emergency’ across the county of Staffordshire.
At a full meeting of Stafford Borough Council, members passed a motion stating: ‘The state of our borough highways is now at breaking point.’
It added: ‘Road users risk damage to their vehicles and injury to themselves travelling on our roads and it is unacceptable.’
The council is Labour-led with support from independents and the Green Party.
The motion stated that the purpose of declaring a roads emergency was to place pressure on highway authority Staffordshire County Council and the Government ‘to act on our residents’ concerns’.
It had originally called for priority to be directed away from A-roads towards B-roads, unclassified rural and urban roads, but was amended by the proposers to call for equal priority for all road types.
Cllr Scott Spencer, one of the proposers, told the meeting: ‘I ride a motorcycle, and I also cycle with my two young girls. Both of these activities are dangerous at the best of times, but the conditions of our roads make it very nerve-racking as a parent.’
Conservative opposition leader Jeremy Pert, who is also cabinet member at the Tory-led county council, blamed the wettest winter for 130 years.
He said: ‘The problem with the weather…it wasn’t cold but the dampness and the rain fundamentally undermined the quality of the road network that we have within not just Stafford borough but the county.’
Cllr Pert also cited recent increases in county council spending on its network.
In March a report from the county council’s assistant director for highways, James Bailey, who is also chairman of the UK Roads Board, stated: ‘Despite the additional investment from the County Council, overall, the current budget is insufficient to maintain the asset in its current condition.’
