Liberal Democrats at County Hall will now be holding talks with senior council officers over the future of Herts Highways. It is evident to all of us that matters have got noticeably worse. But current rumours of centralisation of some parts of the local office network have sent a chill through elected representatives. One of the effective parts of Herts Highways has been the local knowledge of local officials: this contrasts to other parts of the County Council where officialdom is often hopelessly remote.

Meanwhile the complacency of the Conservatives was in full view yesterday when one of the leading Tories complained about how much money was being spent in St Albans on roads and pavements: the point of course is not quantity but quality. It is the complex workings of Herts Highways, a bizarre partnership between a council and two private firms, which is wasting so much money.

Yesterday the Government has released the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) which sets out the development plans for the next 13 years in the region. The plan calls for 508,000 houses to built and the creation of 452,000 jobs in the region and suggest the growth areas throughout the region including Chelmsford, Hemel Hempstead and Thurrock. However the plan does not cover the extend of infrastructure improvements that will be required for this kind of growth. Nor does it provide the financing for this.

Chris White, Liberal Democrat Leader in the East of England Regional Assembly said: ‘It has been a long wait for the publication of this document. It suggest major changes for growth areas but as usual has no money to implement the changes that are required in infrastructure. Not only do we need increased investment in roads and rail to cope with these increases in population but also schools and community facilities.

‘The launch and distribution of the document has also been a mess. Press have been informed and given details and data, but nobody seems to have told the councils who will have to implement these orders from government.’

At this week’s ‘Planning and External Relations’ Cabinet Panel, the members were unanimous in favour of rejecting the recommendatiojns from EERA on the grounds that they are arbitrary, ill-thought through and not in the interests of either the settled or the traveller communities. In particular the idea that every district regardless of size and greenbelt should take 15 pitches was dismissed as a nonsense. The Tory chair of the Panel has agreed to write a very strong letter. Which is interesting since he was the chair of the EERA Panel which originally came up with the proposals - and he refused to back me and my Lib Dem colleagues when we proposed that these crazy proposals be withdrawn.

 His letter to EERA will make interesting reading!

There are some serious safety issues at this junction which will only get worse when the lorry movements at the ‘Oaklands’ site start to get going. I have asked for Herts Highways to review the crossing - not least to see whether anything can be done about crossing on red.

I have managed to badger Herts Highways into:

- replacing the keep clear markings at the junction of Stanhope Road and Grimston Road

- Rstoring the give way markings at the bottom of Carlisle Avenue.

I am awaiting news as to:

the completion of the patching works on Beaumont Avenue

the restarting of the aborted patching works on Spencer Street.

One of the most noticeable facets of the local election campaign was the fury of local residents over roads and pavements. Many have noticed how much it gets better if you cross the border into another county. So it can’t just be Government underfunding (although that doesn’t help). The Herts Highways system isn’t working. And that is a political matter which will inevitably feature when people vote in the county council election next year.

I really think we are finally there. As far as I can tell the noise from the announcements has been turned down. So thanks to local residents who kept me informed, to the Herts Advertiser and the BBC for giving this publicity, and finally to the District Council who issued the all important noice abatement notice.