Potters Cross residents have been left fuming after the County Council’s road contractor left road maintenance works unfinished after striking two water mains, one of which continued to spew out water over a week after being burst.  The works on Potters Cross remain incomplete despite the legal notice for the works stating that they would be finished by July 7^th.  The legal notice for the works also stated that the entire road would be resurfaced, when in fact just a few metres have been repaired. 

The long overdue resurfacing of Potters Cross has become an absolute farce.  It beggars belief that with no improvement works having been done on the road for over thirty years, nobody thought to check if there were any obstructions such as water mains.  For one of the burst mains to then be left unrepaired for over a week is utterly inexcusable.

As the different parties squabble over who should take responsibility for mistakes, the interests of local residents seem to be the very last consideration.

For residents to be told by the County Council that the entire paved road would be resurfaced, only to find that the contractors are working on just a short stretch is simply unacceptable.

Potters Cross residents will remember my letter of 13^th June 2008 regarding the resurfacing works in Potters Cross. Several local residents have contacted me seeking re-assurance that the resurfacing is for the whole of the tarmaced road. I did confirm that according to the correspondence I had received from the County Council, it is for the whole of the tarmaced road. I have today contacted the County Council to seek final written confirmation that the whole tarmaced road is being resurfaced. In the meantime, I would very much appreciate your feedback on the following issues:a)     Do you think the workmen have been doing everything they can to ensure reasonable access for you?b)     What do you think of the standard of the surface laid?c)     Does it look as though the whole length of the tarmaced road is to be re-surfaced?I would like the feedback as I want to ensure the County Council contractors do the agreed work and to a standard they are being paid for. If necessary, I will lobby the County Council to improve this. 

Wavell Close residents will remember my letter to them of 8^th May 2008 regarding the request to the County Council by the Parish Council, local residents and the Liberal Democrat FOCUS Team to “tidy up” the Wavell Close green. Local residents had told us and the Parish Council that the layout of the green was too big for the Close. Local residents have been in contact with us to advise that the requested scheme has not been implemented by the County Council. Indeed what has been implemented not only makes the square look odd, but it does not meet the purposes of why the work was done.  I have today contacted the County Council to ask why the agreed scheme has not been implemented and will let you know their reply as soon as I can. I will of course be pressing the County to then implement the agreed scheme. 

Local residents have been in touch with me regarding the issue of the poor state of the road surface in Potters Cross. I contacted the County Council in March 2008 asking them to take action on this issue.  I am now very pleased to report that resurfacing works for Potters Cross are now scheduled for two weeks commencing 23^rd June 2008. The works may or may not leave the road as an absolutely perfect surface but at least it should be a lot better than it is now. I would very much appreciate it if you could give me your feedback on the following issues:a)         Did you receive a copy of the closure consultation letter yourself?b)         If you did, did you think it was enough notice?I would like the feedback as I want to ensure the County Council gives enough notice to a large enough number of local residents on such issues. If necessary, I will lobby the County Council to improve the way they do this.

Local residents have been in touch with the Liberal Democrat FOCUS Team over the past couple of years expressing their concern about cars speeding along Stewartby Way. The Tory-controlled County Council has said several times to us that any measures to control traffic speed along Stewartby Way are not a high priority for them. Spending nearly £600,000 of council taxpayers’ money on their doomed bid to save the County Council seemed obviously a higher priority for them!  However, I am pleased to report that the Stewartby Police Constable has now been trained on the use of speed guns. He will be using his new gun regularly on Stewartby WayAlso, Stewartby Parish Council and the Liberal Democrat FOCUS Team are continuing to work hard to address this urgent issue. I have proposed that the Parish Council should formally invite an officer from the County Council to attend its May 08 meeting to lobby him/her for any measures to control traffic speed along Stewartby Way to be done. 

Several residents have been in touch with me on this issue.

Speeding cars along Stewartby Way are making it difficult for the residents of the Sir Malcolm Stewart Homes to cross the road to the nearby bus stop.

I have today submitted an application pack to the County Council supporting this much needed sign. However on past experience I am not hopeful the sign will be provided this year. As usual County Highways seem to need someone to die on the road before they will provide a sign or a crossing. What a farce.

Some local residents have been in touch asking for a footpath on the evens side of Fields Road.

I have consulted with the residents of that side of Fields Road.  The feedback is mixed at the moment; some are saying it is badly needed whilst others are saying it would cost too much and the County Council are unlikely to do it in the forseeable future. I’ll let you know the outcome and will bear in mind all these views when discussing it with officers, and Judith and Gordon.

As well as the hundreds of cases due to the poor maintenance by the County Council of our roads and footpaths, and the ongoing vandalism of street nameplates, I am working on several major cases in our Ward:

Stewartby 4

4) Speeding on The Crescent

When I raised this with the County Council last year, an Officer without any discussion with me strangely decided that this issue is a low priority. This decision defies understanding given the problems caused to the elderly residents of mainly the Sir Malcolm Stewart Homes but also The Crescent by teenagers and young “20s” racing up and down The Crescent and Stewartby Way in their cars.

I’ve asked the County Council to ask the Officer concerned to contact me this time to discuss this further.