The great thing about being a Conservative Candidate in the Borough Council Elections, apart from the exercise you get whilst delivering leaflets, is that you get to take pictures of and report potholes on the main roads and side streets that you walk down - lots and lot of potholes.
Councillor Ged Mirfin, who currently represents Billington & Old Langho, one of the Conservative Candidates in the New Whalley Painter Wood Ward states, "It's a good job that we have such a good working relationship with the Lead Member responsible for Highways & Transport, Andrew Snowden and the Deputy Leader of the County Council, Albert Atkison in whose Division, Whalley falls because I know they will respond to the issue with alacrity."
Mark Hindle, who is the other Conservative Candidate for the New Whalley Painter Wood Ward, states, "We always carry our Mobile Phones with us when we are out-and-about in the village in case we need to take photographs of anything we need to report.."
Mark continues, "Whilst out campaigning we decided we would both make a promise to walk the ward on a regular basis to keep a close eye on the state of the roads and pavements so as to report potholes and broken and cracked pavements so as to ensure a regular programme of repairs."
Ged continues, "Whalley deserves bettter. It is evident that the existing Councillors from the so-called renegade Democratic Conservative Group on Ribble Valley Borough Council have not been out and about as much as they could. Potholes are blight on motorists lives but with regular reporting the situation should improve."
On Sunday the 07th of April the Government announced over £200 million for councils across England to assist in repairing roads and potholes – enough to resurface an extra 1,000 miles of road.
As part of the Government’s £6.6 billion investment in roads, this announcement includes £50 million for potholes and flood resilience as well as £151 million to reward examples of councils’ best practice in road repairs.
Funding will also be used in early stage research into new surface materials or pothole repair techniques, such as 3D printing, and a digital hub will be set up for experts to share and develop innovations.
In the Autumn Budget, £420 million was announced for resurfacing, pothole repairs and bridge renewals, and residents are already beginning to see the results, with several local authorities like Lancashire County Council under the New Conservative Administration in 2017 buying or leasing pothole repair machines such as Dragon Patchers and JetPatchers.
Ged continues, "Every motorist knows that potholes have been a problem in the last few years which is why the Government are continuing to increase funding for local authorities and councils, so that they can make our roads safer, and come up with the solutions that best suit their communities."
Ged concludes, "We have uploaded a host of photographs of potholes to accompany this News Story taken in Abbotts Croft, Limefield Avenue, Princess Street, Queen Street, Woodfield View and also on Whalley New Road - the Main Road through the Village. We both hope that this will be the first move down the road (pun intended) to improving the situation. Whalley deserves better!"
