Delays in fixing potholes and other road repairs are ‘getting worse’ since Rochdale council took highway maintenance back in-house, it has been claimed. The authority ditched contractor Balfour Beatty in March this year in a move bosses said would give it more ‘control and flexibility’ over the ‘vital service’.
Chiefs also claimed the change would be more cost-effective in the long-term and support the council’s green agenda by bringing modern and efficient machinery into its fleet. But there were claims the new set-up was failing to deliver when the full council met on Wednesday night.
Coun Andy Kelly, said it was taking an ‘absolutely ridiculous’ amount of time for the council to carry out road repairs. “Why does it take two years to get anything done in our ward?” asked the Milnrow councillor and Lib Dem leader.
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