Lib Dems call on County Council to improve Northampton highways

6.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 25th Jul 2007

Cllr Paul Varnsverry has called on Northamptonshire County Council to address the appalling state of Northampton's roads

The Liberal Democrats on Northampton Borough Council have called on Northamptonshire County Council to allocate more money for road improvements in Northampton, saying spending is heavily skewed towards the largely Tory-controlled rural areas.

Cllr Paul Varnsverry, who proposed the motion to a meeting of the full Council on Monday, revealed the disparity in average expenditure of £22.96 per head of population across the county compared to only £7.81 in Northampton.

Speaking on the motion Cllr Varnsverry said:

"The fundamental cause of problems is the lack of maintenance, which means the highways of Northampton are simply worn out.

"As a regular user of both Friar's Avenue and Gloucester Avenue I have been reporting problems for some time to no avail, The state of these roads has got so bad the street sign should read "Welcome to Friar's Avenue, Delapre - twinned with San Andreas Fault, California."'

The motion, which was passed by Council, calls on Northamptonshire County Council to allocate the highest proportion of funding to a comprehensive repairs and renewals programme within the Borough.