Last year, the Conservative administration at Essex County Council, who are responsible for our roads and paths, voted through a £1 billion contract with Ringway Jacobs, who have been responsible for maintaining our roads for the last decade. Essex Labour recently called for inspections for highways works, addressing residents’ concerns about poor workmanship and wastage of taxpayers’ money. The Conservatives voted against this claiming there was no issue with repairs. In the County budget this year a further £5 million was cut from highways despite the mounting problems we are seeing with potholes and the current state of Brentwood High Street.
Cllr Dr Tim Barrett said, “Even when we have action on highways repairs, the work is of such low quality it often cracks or is in need of further repair in a very short period. Our money should be spent effectively, with repairs completed quickly and to a high standard so that they don’t just return year on year.”