Labour’s Transport Secretary has used National Pothole Day to call on Reform-led Derbyshire County Council to “step up” and tackle the plague of potholes on the county’s roads.
Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood visited Whittington in Chesterfield last April alongside local MP Toby Perkins to highlight some of the most dreadful roads in the county, which were the responsibility of the then Conservative-led Derbyshire County Council.
The visit came in the wake of RAC dubbing Derbyshire the worst county in the country for potholes.
Reform won control of the council a month later and promised to get to grips with the state of the Derbyshire’s roads.
But after revisiting the same streets in Whittington in January, Labour found the concrete is still puckered with potholes and only minor patchwork fillings had taken place – despite the council receiving record funding to fix the roads from the Labour Government.
The revelation comes days after the Labour Government published a new traffic light rating system for how councils tackle potholes, with Derbyshire County Council given the worst “red” rating.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “Yet again Reform has shown their promises to voters in Derbyshire are just words. To only carry out sticking plaster fixes when they are receiving record funding from this government is shameful.
“And we know Whittington is just one example of this failure. Labour MPs and councillors across the county hear time and time again from residents about the pothole plague on their roads and the damage it causes to their vehicles.
“Drivers are the ones paying the price for Reform’s lack of action. If they want to be in power, they need to step up.”
At last year’s Budget, Labour announced a record £7.3 billion in funding to help councils get on with fixing the nation’s roads.
As an incentive to better roads, access to full future funding allocations will be linked to performance, ensuring councils are encouraged to get on with the job and use taxpayer money efficiently to repair and maintain their roads before potholes form.
Labour’s Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins said: “Last year, both Labour and Reform called out the Conservative-led Derbyshire County Council for their shameful record on our roads and it is shocking that, despite now being in charge and receiving record funding from this Labour Government, Reform is condemning motorists on Holland Road to this dilapidated road until 2027 at the earliest.
“Reform were quick with the talk – now they need to get a grip and end the misery that sees residents of Derbyshire left with crippling bills to fix their cars.”
