Budget cuts could lead to ‘bumpy ride’ on roads, say opposition councillors

SEFTON opposition councillors have raised concerns that potholes could soon be on the rise in the borough after cuts were agreed in the council’s highways budget.

At a meeting of Sefton Council’s full council last week, elected members from across the borough met to discuss the coming budget.

As part of plans to fill its budget deficit, one of the proposals included a 15% cut in spending on highways maintenance.

Cllr Simon Shaw said he was concerned the budget changes could result in a “bumpy ride” for people living in Sefton.

Cllr Shaw said the move “spells real danger” to residents in the borough, adding it exposes road users “to greater risk and the council to litigation”.

He said: “A recent survey of UK cyclists has found that 21% have been involved in an accident because of a pothole.”

A Sefton Council spokesperson said the budget changes will not affect the council’s response to “dangerous defects” on the roads.

Cllr Shaw said: “To add insult to injury the public are being asked this year to pay more for parking as well. That money will be used to help partially offset the huge council imposed cut.”

Slamming choices that the Labour-run council have made in recent years, Liberal Democrat Cllr Shaw added: “No-one pretends that councils are flush with cash, but this is a council that has chosen to pay £1.7m loan charges every year for its foolish purchase of the lossmaking Bootle Strand shopping centre.

“Not all the new money and expenditure in this year’s budget is a simple consequence of increased demand and energy prices.

“Some of it is used to address failures in some departments that have let costs run out of control.

“The highways department and the road user though is yet again – almost literally – the fall guy for those failures.”

Responding to Cllr Shaw’s comments, a Sefton Council spokesperson said: “While we have made changes to the highways maintenance budget for the forthcoming 2023/24 financial year, this will not impact on our response to treating dangerous defects.

“We will continue to make repairs within a two-hour timeframe should an inspection identify a highway defect as potentially dangerous,”