Rethink after road to nowhere controversy

A LOCAL authority has ordered a county-wide review of its road maintenance policy in the wake of a storm of protest over a decision to resurface a dead-end farm track leading to a field owned by a senior highways manager.

The Yorkshire Post revealed last week that a 28,000 programme had begun to resurface Bedlam Lane, in Staveley, despite the shocking state of some 5,000 miles of roads across North Yorkshire.

Residents – who have just been hit with a "snow levy" on their council tax to pay for North Yorkshire County Council's multi-million pound road maintenance bill – bitterly opposed the decision, particularly as Alan Jobling, a highways manager who lives in Staveley, had bought a field off Bedlam Lane in 2009 and uses it to keep horses.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Now the county council has apologised for undertaking the work, and says it will review all of its planned road maintenance projects agreed before the big freeze, to divert funds to areas of greatest need.

David Bowe, assistant director of highways for the county council, said: "With hindsight it would have been more appropriate to delay the works on Bedlam Lane until other areas of damaged carriageway that are more heavily used had been addressed.

"The highway maintenance team across the county have been instructed to review planned schemes approved prior to the winter damage, in order to improve the damaged network in the most effective way."

The council says the decision to surface Bedlam Lane was taken well before Mr Jobling had bought the field but said it is continuing with a more detailed investigation to ensure all policies and procedures were met.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Nick Stringer, chair of Staveley and Copgrove Parish Council, said: "I am very pleased that common sense has prevailed and money will be spent on the roads that need it most, not farm tracks."

North Yorkshire County Council is faced with a 10m bill for mending potholes – opened up by the freezing weather – and an additional 9m for gritting.

A 1m emergency fund has already been earmarked from this years revenue budget and the "snow levy" is expected to raise a further 1m to help meet the cost of repairs.