County to work with new firm on roads
A NEW company has won the £245 million contract to repair and maintain roads in Gloucestershire for the next decade.
Gloucestershire County
Council has dropped Amey and will now use Ringway, the authority announced yesterday.
Pothole repairs, winter gritting and grass cutting will be handled by Ringway Infrastructure Services from April next year.
The ten-year deal covers 3,300 miles of roads in the county.
Amey had been hit by a number of controversies in recent months, including an alleged 2,000 tonnes of missing recycling which cost Gloucester City Council more than £245,000.
Ringway delivers similar services for Worcestershire, where it has worked for more than 13 years, as well as Wiltshire and Highways England in the South West.
The contract covers pothole repairs, winter gritting and snow clearance, gully cleaning, verge cutting and surface dressing.
Councillor Vernon Smith, cabinet member for highways at the council, said: “This is great news for the county. Throughout the process Ringway impressed on all fronts and I’m confident they will do a great job keeping our roads and verges maintained.
“They bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience in delivering services in our region and I look forward to working with them to continue our investment in really improving Gloucestershire’s roads.”
Liberal Democrat county councillor Klara Sudbury was highly critical of Amey’s performance as the council’s highways contractor.
Ms Sudbury (Charlton Park and College) said: “The experience with Amey has been incredibly disappointing, with repeated complaints over the quality of the work and potholes having to be filled over and over again.
“Our county, and the taxpaying public, deserves roads and pavements that we can use without worrying about broken suspension, flat tyres, or injury.
“Let’s hope this new contractor gets it right, while Gloucestershire Lib Dems will ensure it is held to account for its standard of work.”
Ringway managing director Mike Notman said: “We are really looking forward to working collaboratively with the council, local suppliers and the community to improve the highway network.
“We are also 100 per cent committed to supporting the county’s wider targets for social, economic and environmental sustainability and are delighted to partner with the council to deliver these over the term of the contract.”