Roads and Pavements

In the past, councils failed to maintain roads and pavements properly. Whitehall gave local authorities “ring-fenced” money for things like road humps, but not for investment in basic infrastructure.

During past economic recessions, for example under John Major, budgets were especially tight: councils forced to choose between roads and schools rightly put education first.

Yet in Kingston, two decades of neglect left an estimated backlog of £20 million in road repairs, potholes and cracked pavements.

This isn’t just irritating. It’s also short-sighted financially – people who trip, fall and hurt themselves sue, hiking up costs to the taxpayer with injury claims and insurance premiums.

So I’m pleased to see the first signs of Kingston’s new road repair programme launched last March.

It’s can’t promise to put everything right, but the three year programme is a big step forward.

Cost is the downside – at £1.5 million this year alone, it’s expensive. So it’s vital the council gets good value, and doesn’t allow contractors to waste our money.

Fortunately, new government rules enable councils to borrow “prudentially”, so many such investment costs can be spread over a longer period.

It’s always a difficult balance to choose between tax levels, services like education and investment in things that don’t seem vital or urgent, like road repairs. But for how much longer could Kingston neglect its roads?

Visit www.kingstonlibdems.org for more information.