Going back to my days as Cornwall Councillor, the upkeep and
maintenance of our highways has always been something that is of great
importance to the people of Mid-Cornwall.
Keeping our roads in good condition is vital for the
continued prosperity of Cornwall and it therefore follows that a great deal of
public funding has been allocated to Cornwall Council for precisely that.
In fact, earlier this year, the Government announced £50
million of funding, estimated to repair nearly 1 million potholes across the
country over the 2016-17 financial year. Over 100 councils in England received
funding as part of the £250 million Pothole Action Fund included in April’s
Budget, which will fix over 4 million potholes by 2020/21.
Cornwall Council pocketed £1,267,000 from this fund this
year. This is money ring-fenced specifically for filling potholes. Last week it
was announced that next year’s funding will be £1,847,000, and this is over and
above the £144 million the Government is already committed to providing in 2017
to help repair local highways.
In addition to this it was good to see the Government
recognise an issue I have raised a number of times, that being the dangerous
A3058 road between Newquay and St Austell. Funding has now been made available
to improve this busy road and I will be working with Cornwall Council to ensure
we make the best use of the money available and improve safety as a priority.
I am pleased to have had some success in helping Cornwall
Council spend some of the money that the Government has made available to it,
notably on Treloggan Industrial Estate, where Cornwall Council finally got it
right after a couple of goes and the surface is now looking much better.
However, I have been concerned to hear from local residents
and businesses around Newquay that there are more and more problems occurring
and that Cornwall Council seems ill-inclined to take action here.
Just recently we have seen headlines in the local press that
the resort’s roads have been ‘left to
rot’. This at a time, where Cornwall Council in other areas, including Truro,
has recently found the money to make numerous improvements to the roads and
public highways.
Newquay, as I am sure you will know is a huge income
generator for the coffers of Cornwall Council. County Hall takes, takes and
takes again from the town, which with its numerous council car parks and other
facilities is the gift that keeps on giving. And I am sure I am not the only
one who feels frustrated when the Council wastes hundreds of thousands of
pounds on unwanted parking consultations but then tells us it cannot afford to
paint a few road markings in Newquay.
I have now written to the Head of Transport at Cornwall
Council and asked for some urgent action to be taken in Newquay and the
surrounding area. I do not believe it is fair that should continue to
prioritise its spending away from the town and believe that now is the time for
action to be taken to address this. I look
forward to hearing back from the Council and to be able to update you on
their response shortly, but rest assured in the meantime, I will continue to do
all I can to support the people of Newquay both on this matter and elsewhere.
There is much more to be done but I is good to see some
progress being made and I will continue to fight our corner both with national
Government and Cornwall Council to get the investment in our roads we need.
