Liberal Democrat Call for an All-Party Review of Hertfordshire's Highway Services Rejected by Tory Administration

Last week in County Hall in Hertford the HCC Liberal Democrat Group tabled a motion at the council meeting calling for an all-party review of Hertfordshire's failing highways service. They were supported by the Labour Group

The Tory majority administration used its majority to vote against the move and push through instead a Conservative motion which "welcomed the improvements in Ringway's performance against its 55 performance indicators.." and claimed that Ringway's "...responses to Cat 1 Faults and lighting performance are all above target..".

The Tory refusal to recognise that there was anything wrong with either their management of the Ringway contract or its performance was led by Highways Executive Member Cllr Terry Douris in a truculent and defiant speech that was unworthy of him.

The Liberal Democrat Motion was as follows.

"This Council is dissatisfied with the many failures in the highways service, such as:

• delays in carrying out work, with routine slippage into subsequent years
• lack of response from many highways and contractor staff, including inaccurate information given to residents
• Ringway's failure to carry out basic housekeeping, including drain clearance, maintenance of signage and litter picking on main roads
• faults on the Highway Fault Reporting System being marked as "closed" or "completed" despite the issues not being fixed,
• fault reports being downgraded and left unfixed, even when they are serious defects
• fault reports being left in some cases for well over a year as "awaiting assessment"
• failure to deal with flooding problems and blocked gullies speedily or even at all
• occasions of inadequate and incorrect notification and engagement with local councillors
• failure to clear vegetation blocking pavements, even when pedestrians are forced to walk along main roads
• particular street lights not being fixed for months or years

and calls for an All-Party Review on how to reorganise highways maintenance to deliver a more reactive, robust and cost-effective service to Hertfordshire residents."

In opposing the Liberal Democrat motion, the Tory speeches betrayed a self-satisfied complacency. Cllr Richard Roberts said that it was "not the time for a critical motion. Ringway are not bad at all. There is continuous improvement and things are getting better." Another Tory criticised the mention of localised issues like white lines not being repainted, blocked gulleys or broken lights by saying, "These are just marginal events. Overall performance is good or exceptionally good."

Winding up for the Liberal Democrats before the vote was taken, Lib Dem Leader Stephen Giles-Medhurst pointed out that Hertfordshire was spending less on Category 1 faults than last year and less on Category 2 faults than 2013/14. He concluded, "Enough is enough! The contract is being badly managed - even when funds are available and work is commissioned the repairs are still not being done!"

Local councillors who voted against the Lib Dem motion and for the Conservative motion were; Terry Douris (Hemel Hempstead NW); Ralph Sangster (Rickmansworth); Andy Williams (Hemel Hempstead East); Ian Reay (Berkhamsted); Richard Roberts (Kings Langley); Colette Wyatt-Lowe (Hemel Hempstead NW); William Wyatt-Lowe (Hemel Hempstead Town); Anthony McKay (Hemel Hempstead SE) NB the steam roller is not representative of Ringway equipment. It is a metaphor for the Tory majority and the speed of highway repair responses.