Forum Topic

Labour skimps on Acton's roads

In the last two years the Labour council has allocated £6.5 million (in total for the two years together) of capital spending to resurfacing the Borough’s roads and pavements.  This sounds like a lot of money but it is half of what the previous administration spent on the roads.  You might think that on average this money would be fairly evenly spent across the Borough.  It isn’t.  Although the council claims to use objective assessments of roads and pavements the actual spending patterns do make you wonder.  In the one year 2011/12 50% of expenditure went to the 5 wards of Southall (they might expect to get 22% on average). In the one year 2012/13 49% of expenditure went to the 2 wards of Northolt (they might expect to get 9% on average).How much has gone to Acton?  Over two years and three wards the council has spent £195K resurfacing just four roads in all of Acton:Essex Road, Acton CentralMaple Avenue, East ActonStation Road, East ActonActon Lane, South ActonThis represents 3% of the Borough’s total spend.  If the three wards had received an equal share they might have expected to get 13% of the total, some 10% or £650K more.  No pavements have been resurfaced in Acton from the council’s own capital spending for two years.  You can work out for yourself if you think that Acton is getting a fair deal.  More details here:http://philtaylor.org.uk/2012/11/labours-road-spending-games/

Phil Taylor ● 5062d15 Comments

Can I suggest that when you see a broken paving stone or a badly surfaced road - that it is reported to the Council.  It seems to me that those who complain the most get the most attention.I suspect the large amounts spent in Southall and Northolt are a result of improvement plans to the areas and are just one offs.So, if you want the pavements and roads in Acton to receive some of their capital expenditure for the 2013/14 year, get reporting any defects to:customers@ealing.gov.ukand get them recorded on the Council's complaint system.

Dee Cook ● 5061d

What do you do if the pavement has been broken by a skip lorry loading up as has just happened next door. They have put out cones but will they fix it?I'm concerned because you could come a real cropper - it's very broken and I don't want my mum - or anyone else's for that matter - tumbling down.

Sara Nathan ● 5061d

Sara,The council should fix it and bill the people who broke it.  If you can make a written online report with as many details then that will help that to happen.  The council has a separate revenue budget to fix such things even if they can't get compensation.  Someone walks around your streets every quarter looking for such stuff.  Unfortunately the "intervention level" (the point at which they do something) has gone down to 25mm or 1 inch in old money.  Pavements can really last quite a long time.  The main things that ruin them are trees (better to fix pavements than to have no trees most agree), cars, etc parking on pavements and access of heavy vehicles to building sites.

Phil Taylor ● 5061d

Dee,Like most things to do with the council this is complicated!  The council has for many years had a capital budget to replace all roads and footpaths in the borough as they wear out.  Before the Tories came to power the previous Labour administration spent about £1 million a year on this.  When we were in power we spent £25.5 million in four years as we thought that roads were a priority.  In the last two years Labour has spent £6.5 million and thus halved this budget. Not quite a return to the bad old days but a big drop.  Regeneration schemes (such as Good for Greenford and plans to turn Southall Broadway into a boulevard) are separate as are things such as the TfL "Corridor" schemes.  I was highlighting the money the council spends in this one budget and how it is divided.  Southall has had one third of this budget in two years (half in the first year and less in the second) AND it will get £7 million for town centre regeneration.  There is a separate revenue budget for fixing potholes.  This system is quite efficient and goes on quietly all of the time.  Someone walks around all streets four times a year and marks up defects for repair.  They also, as you point out, take into account calls from residents.  Even if your road is not due to be resurfaced pot holes can be fixed and a call to the council will speed this process up.

Phil Taylor ● 5061d

I'm pretty certain it was effectively the last of those - I'm also fairly sure it's more than an inch but would hate to wait a quarter to find out.Our neighbours are very responsible people and I am sure they will sort it out. Just thought - given this thread - you could advise on how. And you have. thanks.

Sara Nathan ● 5061d

All damage to the pavement/roadway by builders working on properties in the area needs to be reported to customers@ealing.gov.uk and highwayservices@ealing.gov.uk whilst the builders are on site. Speed is of the essence.This should instigate a visit by the Council's Highways Department who will, if they can prove the builders have  caused the damage, charge them for the repair.Check out the damaged kerb stone outside number 17 Goldsmith Road caused by a skip delivery.How much do you think that will cost to repair?  that is you and me.

Dee Cook ● 5060d

I've done it and already had tewo emails and a text message back.In the meantime the builders next door seem to have done an exemplary job in repairing it themselves - can't see the join - so do I go back and withdraw the notification?

Sara Nathan ● 5060d

no..... you don't know what kind of materials they have used - could be dodgy cement which will all disintegrate when it gets colder.Also, they do not have authority to carry out such a repair.

Dee Cook ● 5060d

Call me old-fashioned, but I think that when a councillor (of whatever party) makes an overtly political posting on the forum, he/she should declare their position. In three posts in this thread, the closest Phil Taylor gets to it is a reference, in his third posting, to Tories as 'we'. Why so coy?Astonishing as it may seem, Phil, not everyone in Acton (or beyond) knows who you are...

Steve Donnelly ● 5060d

Steve,Sorry but I did assume that most people posting on here, it is a small group, would know where I was coming from.  I put a link to my blog in my posting which is subtitled "Councillor sounds off".  On Google searches my blog will appear on the first page.  I was pretty transparently making a political point.  There was no attempt to deceive.  Do you want to discuss road spending or change the subject?

Phil Taylor ● 5060d

Steve,BTW are you the former Acton Councillor Steve Donnelly?  What party did you represent? 

Phil Taylor ● 5060d

My neighbour reports that Highways have already been out and seen and approved the repair.How's that for speedy - and presumably not resource intensive either.

Sara Nathan ● 5060d

'Someone walks around all streets four times a year and marks up defects for repair.  They also, as you point out, take into account calls from residents.  Even if your road is not due to be resurfaced pot holes can be fixed and a call to the council will speed this process up.'Councillor I would dispute that these inspections happen 4 times a year - and when they do and mark our pavements with coloured paint - which incidentally is ugly and irritating - nothing happens.  Who is checking to ensure that something does happen?  And when the repairs do actually take place, they are very sloppy.  Who is checking the quality of this work?

Dee Cook ● 5059d

Dee,As an opposition councillor, in particular the opposition spokesman for transport and environment which covers the roads, I am very happy to point out when the council is getting things wrong as they are with road resurfacing.  At the same time I know from my six years of being a councillor the council does quite a lot of things very well and has some good processes in place.  There really is someone who checks your road every quarter.  Their job description requires them to walk to make sure the pavements are safe.  I am hearing lots of reports right now about poor pavements.  I have not come to a view if it is poor quality in some areas or a more general problem.  If they are not doing a good job near you I will be happy to walk around your neighbourhood with you and take a look.  I did this recently in a neighbourhood in Northolt and the next week council workmen fixed 92 defects at a cost of £6K.  One of the cuts which the current Labour administration accepted (which we rejected when we were in power) was moving what they call the intervention level to 25 mm, ie an inch.  This means that they won't fix things unless the defect is more than an inch high.  This was a bad saving to take in my view.

Phil Taylor ● 5059d

Councillor, not wishing to ask a FoI question, do you know how much the Council paid out in injury/damage claims to those who have tripped up/fallen down potholes/damaged their cars on defective paving/roadways over the past year?

Dee Cook ● 5059d