Council blames contractor as ‘worst road in town’ highlights pothole crisis

A SUTTON Coldfield road riddled with potholes has been branded the worst in the town as residents fight to get it resurfaced.

Locals in Broadfields Road, Wylde Green, have submitted their second petition to Birmingham City Council following ten months of inaction since their first asked for repairs to be carried out.

Sutton Wylde Green councillor Alex Yip submitted the petition on their behalf and said: “This road is dangerous and clearly unsafe and needs to be resurfaced.

“This is the second petition I have submitted this year after the first one submitted in January has been met with inaction some ten months on.

“Every resident on the road has signed multiple petitions and backed multiple calls for something to be urgently done to this road which is a bus route, used as a short cut, and is likely the worst road in Sutton Coldfield.”

Cllr Yip claimed the lack of repairs had been in part been caused by a bitter dispute between the city council and its highways contractors Amey.

“The ongoing dispute between the council and Amey is affecting residents, injuring people and damaging property when council has a responsibility to ensure roads are safe and the concerns of residents are listened to,” he said. “This road is an example of a deteriorating network across the whole city damaging vehicles and affecting everyone who are paying their taxes and just going about their daily business.

“It is ridiculous considering this is a 25-year contract costing £2.7 billion. The relationship and managing of the contract is the responsibility of the council.

“A schedule for repairs put forward in September by Amey was not approved by council. Residents and I just want something done.”

A spokesman for Amey said: “Despite the current challenging circumstances, Amey continues to deliver locally on our contractual commitments to keep Birmingham’s roads safe.

“Every road in Birmingham is inspected at least once every six months, and defects that present a hazard to road users are repaired as a priority. The most dangerous issues are attended to within an hour of receiving an alert, while less urgent repairs are prioritised based on a risk assessment.

“A walked inspection takes place every six months on Broadfields Road, and it was last inspected on October 8, at which time all safety critical defects had been made safe.

“We have put forward a number of proposals and options to the council during the course of the past three years, including a further significant investment programme – which contained resurfacing to Broadfields Road – none of which have been taken forward by Birmingham City Council.

“Our intention remains to resolve the ongoing disputes. To enable this, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further with Birmingham City Council and all other stakeholders.”

A Birmingham City Council spokesman said: “As the cabinet report in July made clear, Amey has not provided programmes of investment work that recognise the work that it is contractually required to do.

“We are not aware that any substantive programmed investment work is being carried out presently. We are working with all parties to the contract to secure a way forward.”

This road is an example of a deteriorating network across the whole city damaging vehicles Cllr Alex Yip