£2M PLAN TO TACKLE BLOCKED DRAINS AND OVERGROWN VERGES
One-off investment follows budget cuts
COUNCIL chiefs are launching a £2 million blitz on damaged gullies, blocked drainage ditches and overgrown weeds.
Staffordshire County Council will carry out the ‘quick-win’ improvements at known hotspots.
Along with a one-off targeted investment of £1.9 million in the highways network, there will be a further £100,000 for small-scale improvement to public rights of way across the county.
But much of the investment is being directed at areas where the council has previously made budget cuts.
The money, which is due to be spent by the end of next March, will be allocated as follows:
■ Gully emptying and repairs – £950,000;
■ Drainage ditches – £300,000;
■ Targeted landowner action – £50,000;
■ Grass cutting – £250,000;
■ Sweeping/weed control £350,000;
■ Public rights of way – £100,000. David Williams, member for highways and transport, said: “We’ve already allocated £5 million in this year’s budget for maintenance and upkeep, but we listen to feedback from residents and have decided to add an extra £2 million to target some of the areas causing concern.
“We’ll also be working with landowners, or taking direct action where necessary, to make improvements to problem ditches and overhanging trees that they have responsibility for.”
In 2018/19 the county council moved to an ‘asset based’ regime for tackling drainage issues, which means some gullies are only cleansed once every three years. The cabinet report says that while this provides the ‘optimum’ maintenance solution to prevent future problems, there remains a legacy of five per cent of gullies which are blocked or slow running.
The current backlog of known drainage issues, some of which are complicated by third-party land ownership, is estimated to exceed £20 million.
This year there has also been an extra £1.6 million in government funding for high priority drainage matters.
In 2020/21, the council reduced the frequency of urban highway grass cutting from eight to six cuts a year.
The £250,000 one-off investment being provided this year will pay for ‘extra’ cuts in autumn and spring.
Similarly, the in-year investment in weed control measures follows the recent decision to reduce highway weed treatment to once a year.
There are currently 2,126 unresolved issues affecting public rights of way across Satffordshire, and the cabinet report says ‘significant investment’ is required to bring the network to a safe and usable condition.
Council leader Alan White, above, said: “I think people across Staffordshire who have long been lobbying for this will be delighted to hear this news.”
Philip White, cabinet member for economy, added: “Luckily, most of our residents don’t see most of the excellent work this county council does in terms of caring for the most vulnerable people.
“But this is the sort of thing that people do see on a day-to-day basis. I think it’s entirely reasonable that the vast majority of our taxpayers lucky enough not to need our statutory services do see something for their money.”