West Sussex council may resurface minor roads

West Sussex County Council has said it is "seriously considering" spending millions of pounds on resurfacing unclassified roads.

The council conceived the plans in the summer and autumn after residents complained of the deterioration of some surfaces.

A spokesman said the area had had some of the worst weather in living memory over the past three years.

The plans would see the money spent over the next two years.

In 2012/13, 22% of unclassified roads, which make up 55% of the authority's road network, were in need of repair.

The council spokesman said studies had indicated that high quality road surfaces would save millions in maintenance costs over the next 20 years.

Pieter Montyn, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "We cannot give an exact figure at this stage, but our findings suggest if we invest heavily now in upgrading road surfaces, it will be cheaper in the long run to maintain them and stop them deteriorating."

Not So Merry Xmas For Plymouth Council Workers

MORE than 100 council staff have been issued with redundancy notices as Plymouth struggles to cope with the Government’s austerity drive.

The notices were issued as Local Government Minister Brandon Lewis announced an £8.5million, or 3.6per cent, cut in the city’s “spending power” from April 2014.

The cut is worse than the national average of 2.9per cent.

But Plymouth City Council finance supremo Mark Lowry challenged the figures, which he said included elements such as the New Homes Bonus, the incentive payment for building extra housing.

“The real cut is 9.5per cent, which amounts to a £12million fall in our revenue,” he said.

Ministers were “looking after the Tory shires” at the expense of cities like Plymouth.

Alison Seabeck, Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, warned that it was “not acceptable” that the council was having trouble paying for statutory duties as the Government unveiled the latest local authority financial settlement.

Plymouth’s grant looks likely to be scaled back by another 3per cent for 2015/16, or £6.9million.

Councils' facing further spending cuts

England's councils will face an average spending-power cut of 2.9% in the year 2014-15, the government has announced.

Communities minister Brandon Lewis said this would allow a settlement "fair to all parts of the country" and called for more efforts to tackle waste.

But Labour said services would suffer and some councils could be stretched to "breaking point".

Last year, authorities were told they would face an average reduction in spending power of 1.7%.

In a written statement, Mr Lewis said: "English local government accounts for £1 of every £4 spent on public services, and is expected to spend some £117bn in 2013-14.

"So the settlement that we are proposing recognises the responsibility of local government to find sensible savings and make better use of its resources."

Mr Lewis promised a £9.5m fund "so that the most rural local authorities can continue to drive forward efficiencies in their area".

In June's spending review, Chancellor George Osborne announced that a freeze on council tax in England, due to come to an end in April 2014, would be extended by two years.

Mr Lewis said: "We expect local authorities to protect taxpayers and help bear down on the cost of living.

"That is why we have provided up to £550m of extra funding to local authorities so they can freeze council tax for the next two years."

Mr Lewis indicated he was ready to consider lowering the 2% threshold at which a proposed rise in council tax will trigger a local referendum. The trigger point is due to be announced in the New Year following consultation.

'Biggest cuts'

In the Commons, Labour's shadow communities secretary Hilary Benn, said: "Why are the most disadvantaged communities, once again, being the hardest-hit?"

He added: "Tough times do indeed require tough decisions but, as this government has shown time and time again, from the bedroom tax to the top rate of tax to local government funding, it takes most from those who have least. It is unfair and it is unjust."

The Local Government Association, which speaks on behalf of more than 400 councils in England and Wales, said town halls were continuing to face tough times but ministers had made some important concessions to alleviate the impact of the continuing budget squeeze.

"The money government gives to councils to run local services will fall by 8.5% over the next two years, but as a result of the Autumn Statement there will not be an additional reduction on top of this," said chairman Sir Merrick Cockell.

He added: "At a time when local authorities are contending with the biggest cuts in living memory, the introduction of the Better Care Fund and government's decision to reverse potentially costly changes to the New Homes Bonus will help the efforts of some local authorities in protecting vital everyday services, like caring for the elderly, from the worst impact of spending cuts."

By 2015, Sir Merrick said, local government would have had to make £20bn in savings, adding that the next two years would be "the toughest yet" for those reliant on council services.

Graeme McDonald, director of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers, said some authorities would face cuts as high as 6.9%, which could take them "to breaking point".

He added: "This settlement reminds us that the financial challenge facing local government is immense."

Council funding elsewhere in the UK is the responsibility of the devolved institutions.

Mr Pothole Working with Street Repairs to improve OUR ROADS

Why is Mr Pothole working with streetrepairs.co.uk/?

Having investigated the many ways that councils take reports of potholes and street defects online there was no consistence. From a simple email or form without the assistance of a map or pictures to be used to locate the fault and little if no feedback. Through to some of the larger council’s who have their own systems which were good in some areas but needed things like creating an account before making a report. This would put some people off from making a report having to take time to register and have to give personal details. Government keep talking about the use of new technology in many of their reports on the matter, however nothing happens.

The need for a national reporting system would add a consistent and transparent approach across the UK. When discussed at the National Pothole meeting arranged by myself earlier this year, the feedback there was that no one would look to invest a system like this under the current economic climate. Rather than just leaving it there I discussed the idea with Colin Mahoney MD of City Media Ltd, who is also the Chairman of the British Bikers Association. They too had a campaign about the danger of potholes to bikers following incidents injuring members and have since endorsed my campaign as Mr Pothole. This was the start of the design idea for the Street Repairs reporting system. There is no point waiting for others to do the right thing even more so government, with their track record of IT projects costing millions and delays. 

Is the latest software and technology being used?

Yes, some of the newest internet software and cloud technology are being used in the creation of Street Repairs national street defect reporting system. The system will evolve and improve with more and more use by the public and councils over the coming months. It can also be expanded to assist highways authorities with asset management and the control of their networks. Smartphones and tablets are becoming common placed in today’s normal life so a system that will use these platforms is becoming more essential for better communications.   

Why a National Street Repairs Reporting system is needed?

When people are away from home in different parts of the country and spot a defect not knowing what council to report details too, then a national smart system would assist. This could be done all for them, allowing both map location and pictures of the fault to be recorded. Reports being sent to the right authority via the system, the council being able to see location details, information from the reporter and any pictures.

Why give contact details?

Although reports can be made anonymously for those that do not want to give there details there are some benefits in doing so. It allows the reporter to get acknowledgement when first making a report and in the future when the highways authority have updated the report.  The system would send a follow up email to the authority asking for an update (if they have not already done so) after 28 days of receiving the first report. This would continue after 14 days and then 7 days to assist the council in keeping on top of reports and keeping the public informed.

What are Street Repairs aims?

https://streetrepairs.co.uk/ empowers people to assist in taking control of their local environment and provide a platform for improved communications between councils/highways authorities and the public. The system makes it very simple and fast, so that submitting a report is not a drain on people’s time.

Penrith road scheme given green light by Government

A £2.3m road scheme in Penrith has been given the green light by the Government.

The Penrith scheme comprises a package of junction changes to speed traffic flows from Junction 40 of the M6.

Cumbria County Council said the money would be used to upgrade access points into the Eden Business Park and Gilwilly Industrial Estate.

The scheme has been approved as part of a £49m national package to tackle congestion.

The Department for Transport will provide £1.6m for the Penrith scheme, with Cumbria County Council providing a further £307,000, Eden District Council funding £150,000 and the Cumbria LEP providing £235,000 through the Cumbria Infrastructure Fund.

It is expected construction will begin in October 2014 and be completed four months later.