'Why do Yorkshire Water think this speed of working is acceptable?" Robbie Moore MP demands action over Ilkley disruption
A Shadow Minister has demanded that Yorkshire Water provides a guarantee of longer working hours on roadworks which are causing “significant disruption” and economic damage to a West Yorkshire spa town.
Conservative MP Robbie Moore, who is the Shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said “serious concerns” have been raised by Ilkley residents about the management of the work, including reports that workers have been absent from site during standard working hours.
Complaints have also been made about the management of temporary traffic lights, which have contributed to delays for road users, Mr Moore said. Mr Moore, who is the MP for Keighley and Ilkley, and Ilkley Councillor Richard Downey held a meeting with Yorkshire Water on site over the ongoing traffic disruption affecting Ilkley as a result of roadworks on Skipton Road. The works, which began on Monday 27 July and are expected to last 25 days, involve the installation of a new service connection at the junction of Skipton Road and Victoria Avenue.
In a post on his website, Mr Moore said that while most residents recognise the need for these works, many have contacted him to raise serious concerns about how they are being managed.
Mr Moore said: “Huge numbers of residents, commuters, including buses and local businesses are being severely impacted by these works, due to the long tailbacks through town and back towards Addingham, and it is costing our local economy in downtime and reduced footfall.”
“I completely appreciate that this work needs to take place, but my issue lies with the fact that no one ever seems to be on site, despite the roadworks being in place. Yorkshire Water, who are responsible for managing this project should have been mandated by Bradford Council’s Highways Team to work around the clock, utilising all day light hours. The works are scheduled to take place for a full four weeks, and we are now a week in, and so far, you’re lucky if you even see anyone working on site. Why on earth did Bradford Council sign this work programme off, and why do Yorkshire Water think this speed of working is acceptable?”
“It is even more frustrating as warnings have been provided to both organisations throughout this year, following the huge disruption Ilkley faced earlier in the year, for a 10-week period, when roadworks were in place in the same location. I cannot understand why no learning, or progress in thinking has been made.”
“Yorkshire Water has since responded to me after the meeting, basically saying that they will ramp up their efforts, but they still are not able to guarantee longer working hours for the whole of the scheduled works, and are not able to confirm if the works will be completed any sooner. This is simply not good enough.”
“It is also incredibly disappointing that Bradford Council’s Highways Team couldn’t be bothered to attend a meeting on site so they could see the situation. I will keep pushing.”
A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: “We were pleased to meet with Robbie Moore MP and Coun Richard Downey earlier in the week to discuss the ongoing work on the A65 to connect clean water mains to a new development.
“Our contract partner, Avove, is carrying out two elements of work concurrently in an effort to reduce time on site and are working extended hours to progress this work as quickly and as safely as possible.
“Reinstatement is already underway, which has allowed us to reduce the traffic management footprint and our daily progress meetings continue to be positive. As we move towards the weekend there may be fewer contractors visible on site while we chlorinate and pressure test the new connection.
“We fully understand the frustration that this disruption has caused and we would like to thank the local community for their patience whilst the traffic management is in place to ensure the safety of all concerned. However, we would like to reassure residents and road users in the area that we are working as quickly as we can under accelerated hours, to get this activity completed and the site cleared.”
A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of these works at Skipton Road in Ilkley and understand the frustrations of residents and road users. We have agreed national street works permit conditions with Yorkshire Water, relating to the site and we have reminded them of their responsibilities under the permit issued. We are working hard with Yorkshire Water to provide a swift resolution to this issue and will continue to closely monitor the progress of the works, pushing for completion as soon as possible.”