As residents will know, I have been concerned about the length of time that burst mains are left unattended by water companies.
The latest to have been left too long is the one on the pavement outside 120 London Road – I have asked in the first instance Herts Highways to chase this. If this does not produce results I will as before go to the press.
I am told these works will take place in July.
Old London Road: the speed humps are a problem and will be patched.
The bell mouth at junction with Alma Cut needs attention
Hart and Pageant: White Hart Tap deliveries have smashed pavement. So a different material will be used for the pavement. All of the broken slabs happened before the CPZ was introduced. Now virtually no-one parks on pavements – and so repairs can be justified for these pavements. These will be slabs except for cross overs (which will be black top).
Grosvenor Road: there will be patching for the end not done previously. The bad footway near Ardentinny will also be done.
The BBC has been in town filming the state of the roads and talking to me about how the Liberal Democrats might change things in relation to the operation of Herts Highways. I was able to show them Lemsford Road (voted worst road in the division by local people) and Granville Road, which is disintegrating into gravel.
It appears that the Conservatives in county hall are now alleging that Hertfordshire has more traffic than anywhere else in the country, which might amuse Londoners and indeed people in many other places.
The BBC will be broadcasting the interview on 2 June.
Chris and Sandy in Lemsford Road last week
The former Labour MEP for Hertfordshire, Lord Truscott, has been suspended from the House of Lords. He and and another Labour peer ‘were found by a Lords committee to be willing to change laws in exchange for cash’. Truscott has now resigned from the Labour Party.
Ridgmont Road: both carriageway and footway are disintegrating: footway repairs are about to happen on the east side but there is inadequate funding for both sides to be mended.
Bedford Road footways: these will be repaired as part of local discretionary funding this year. The collapsed section is going to be reconstructed down to a depth of 20 cm: this will take a week.
it would appear that the black bin collections are now being made without a large vehicle entering the street and damaging the pavements. The green bin collections present a different problems and Herts Highways and the district council are negotiating.
Local residents will be delighted to hear that this appeal against the refusal of planning permission by the district council has been turned down by the planning inspector.
In summary he says: ‘the development would add unacceptably to highways dangers and the vacant and unused first floor would conflict both with local plan policy for the area and Government guidance.’
The County Council has once again admitted that local residents are still at risk of being let down by key aspects of adult care services and that current pressures make improvements difficult. Papers discussed by county councillors today revealed that the county’s risk register shows as of high concern (red) that:
– the reinspection of its already ‘poor’ supporting people programme is likely to show a lack of improvement
– that it is ‘possible’ that the council will be unable to make sustained performance improvements because of an ‘increased demand’ for services.
Cllr Allan Witherick, spokesperson on adult care services, commented:
‘This shows yet again that the council is failing in one of its key services. It should have planned for an increase in demand and should have made headway in improving its performance in the supporting people programme.
‘More worrying is that fact that the risk is seen more one of reputation and litigation than the risk that key vulnerable sections of the population will not get the care that they are entitled to.’
I have today sent a formal letter to the county council asking for extra school places to be made available at oversubscribed schools. When I receive a reply I will publish it here and elsewhere.
I wrote last week seeking absolute clarity from the county council as to whether it was prepared to use the Jubilee Centre as additional educational accommodation while the search for a permanent site for a new primary school continued.
The District Council controls the building but would appear prepared in principle to make it available to the county council.
I understand that the decision will be published on Monday. I will let residents know as soon as I have any concrete information.
I have no idea what these are doing either. They were there on Thursday and Friday with no sign of life.
Chris White and Sandy Walkington were surprised to find signs that Lemsford Road was about to be repaired at last – but of course it was just vehicles lying idle.
Meanwhile Lemsford Road has been voted in as one of the four roads of shame in St Albans Central Division by local residents who responded to our highways survey. The full list is:
Lemsford Road
Hatfield Road at the railway bridge
Victoria Street at the railway bridge
Woodstock Road South
Clearly there are many, many others which give cause for concern – but these struck you as the worst.