RORY CONGRATULATES EDEN COMMITTEE ON ESSENTIAL ROADS MAINTENANCE

In response to recent media reports regarding concerns about the state of roads in Cumbria, Rory spent time this weekend looking at roads in and around Penrith and assessing the reality on the ground.

With Eden Local Committee vice-chair and county councillor Helen Fearon – who has a special interest in highway matters – the local MP visited improved road surfaces around the New Squares area, and across residential areas of Penrith. Reactive maintenance works are carried out at a local level under devolved powers to the six local committees, and they are responsible for ensuring that Cumbria’s roads are well-maintained and that issues – such as pot-holes – are dealt with effectively.

Rory said: “The county council’s Highways budget for this sort of maintenance work is shared amongst the six local committees, who naturally are best-placed to guide on essential maintenance works to our roads. Here in Eden, the reactive maintenance budget is £1.3 million, and this is a budget that varies dramatically across the county – South Lakeland’s share, for example, is almost double at £2.1 million. Funds are allocated according to the length of road network, and population: of course, here in Eden we yet again fall down on low population, and this is something that we must lobby the council on. That said, central government provided Cumbria with an extra £6 million in funds in recognition of the extra repairs carried out during the severe winter weather. We need to work hard to prioritise roads, prioritise our maintenance needs, and communicate effectively with our local committees. I am satisfied that Eden’s local committee are doing an excellent job with the means at their disposal, and am pleased to have seen today some of their good work, on which I congratulate them.”

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