Repairs threatened in funding row

11 October 2006

A political row in Kirklees threatened to halt all road maintenance after opposition councillors claimed millions of pounds in additional road improvement funding was being redirected to Tory-held wards.
Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council agreed on 28 June to ‘increase provision for improvements to estate roads, pavements and streetlighting by £4M over the two years 2006/07 to 2007/08’, and this was added into the Highways Capital Plan. The plan identified roads most in need of repair, and a list of priorities was drawn up and the work was ready to go ahead.
However, the Conservative administration’s cabinet had a change of heart and focused the additional funding on ‘higher-profile strategic routes’ across Kirklees at the end of last month instead.
Members took the action after pointing out there was already allocated funding of £172,000 per ward, per year for residential estate roads, pavements and streetlighting. But John Smithson, Lib Dem councillor for Almondbury, called the decision in for a scrutiny panel review this week, claiming the funding was going to wards under the control of Tory councillors.
Smithson said: ‘The cabinet has decided to play post code politics with the highways budget and scrapped the allocation of cash according to need, and is now funding pet schemes primarily in its own wards. This is a disgrace.’ However, the scrutiny panel meeting agreed to free the cabinet decision for immediate implementation, but has made two recommendations for future decisions on roads improvement.
These are that highways officers include the basis of their technical advice and prioritisation in future reports and cabinet members set out clearly the criteria they have used to make their decision.
Martyn Bolt, cabinet member for environment, transport and property, said: ‘The fact that it frees our decision for implementation with no adverse comments, in my view, vindicates our role.’

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