A cross-party panel to review how to repair and maintain Nottinghamshire’s highways has been given the go ahead by the authority.
Councillors voted unanimously in favour of a motion proposed by Nottinghamshire County Council Leader, Ben Bradley MP, to set up the Highways Review Panel.
The new panel will oversee new methods to improve the roads of the county after it was confirmed as one of the key priorities of the new administration.
The panel will comprise councillors from all parties, who will work together to examine a range of methods and technologies that are used to repair and maintain the county’s roads, as well as suggest recommendations for improvement.
Commenting, Councillor Bradley said: “Undoubtably, the biggest issue on the doorstep during the elections was roads maintenance and potholes. Unlike any other services, the road network affects almost everyone.
“It’s not for lack of investment or criticism of our frontline staff, who are doing a great job under difficult circumstances.
“The responsibility rests with us now to get this right. We have made a huge effort to resolve this in the past, but it’s clear that the improvements haven’t been enough.
“So, we need to go back and look at the policies and the techniques and technologies involved and ask ourselves why we do things the way we do things.
“This can’t be fixed overnight. It will take time and investment, but our residents expect us to listen.
“I’m determined to show improvements on how we do this work. This will be done from a cross-party approach. We need constructive ideas and suggestions.
“We are recognising that this is something we need to do quickly, but that it’s something that needs to be challenged together.”
Chair of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Transport and Environment Committee, Councillor Neil Clarke, will take charge of delivering improvements to the county’s highways.
Commenting, Councillor Clarke said: “The public has told us loudly and clearly what they were concerned about and highways was number one.
“We all know that there is work to be done and by setting up this cross-party panel, we have demonstrated we are listening to our residents and that we are ready to act and to do something.
“It’s a huge issue and by its nature is constantly in the public eye and is a high-profile issue. Every resident in Nottinghamshire looks at a road every day of the week, so this matters to us all.
“Not every road or pothole will be repaired tomorrow or next week. We need time. However, it is perfectly valid for the public to ask lots of questions about how we do things.
“This review will mean we can see if there are better ways to do things to deliver sustainable repairs using the best practice and best innovations out there.
“It needs to be a cross-party approach because we need the spirit of cooperation. It’s a countywide problem, which is why we need to work together.”
The Highways Panel will report its recommendations to the authority’s Policy Committee and any policy changes agreed will then be applied, managed and overseen by the Transport and Environment Committee.
