County councillors in St Albans on Thursday condemned the farcical processes employed by the Conservative led county council in identifying roads in need of repair.

At a meeting of the Joint Member Panel, which brings together county and district councillors to examine road priorities, a report on four particular roads was produced.
Normandy Road was described as having ‘minor cracks and surface defects with no Cat 1 potholes reported filled in the 12 months prior to the deterioration’.

Local member Chris White commented: ‘This is simply untrue and it is noteworthy that the local highways team has in fact done some extensive repairs to this road despite the fact that we have been told that they should not have done so.

‘For this, local residents can be grateful. But it shows that the team at Highways HQ is wasting its time, our time and worst of all public money in running a computer programme which simply does not work or is being fed with dodgy data.’

Similar comments were made about Cunningham Avenue by local county councillor Rob Prowse and on Jenkins Avenue by Aislinn Lee.

Aislinn Lee commented: ‘This was supposed to be a dialogue. We are talking to them but they are not listening to us. Why are local councillors’ views totally ignored in this system?’

Various members felt there was no further point in having highways meetings because of the high-handed attitude of Herts Highways.

Rob Prowse said: ‘I cannot see what this Panel has achieved over the past two years. I work well with my local highways officer but there must be a better way of resolving these things locally.’