The quality of pothole repairs has been blasted by a Belfast councillor.
Alliance councillor Micheal Long said he raised the issue at Belfast City Hall and that council will now write to the Department for Infrastructure. He said it followed a number of attempts to fix the same pothole in his areas.
We reported in January how the number of potholes in NI road had jumped 72% from 2021 to 2022.
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Cllr Long added: “In recent months, there have been many complaints from residents about repairs undertaken in Belfast.
“We need assurances about how repairs are being signed off and that they are made to a satisfactory standard, providing value for money,” said the Lisnasharragh councillor.
“Potholes represent a real danger to motorists and pedestrians and surely in a time of enormous budget cuts, we should be ensuring maximum cost-effectiveness.
“Some of the quality of the repairs calls into question whether anyone from the Department for Infrastructure is actually responsible for the sign-off of these repairs. We urgently need clarification on this, as recent failures point to duplication and a drain on resources.
“ Belfast City Council will write to DFI to raise the issue regarding the standard of repairs to roads and footpaths.”
It comes as the Department for Infrastructure announced a series of funding cuts to meet the 2023/24 budget set for it by the Secretary of State.
DfI said it needs £691m to deliver services at their current levels but have been allocated just £523.4m, leavig a £112m gap.
The department’s Permanent Secretary Julie Harrison said: “Over 800 individuals and organisations told us very clearly about the impact of the budget allocation on public services we provide in relation to water, transport and planning, and on the people who need these services.
“Around 95% of the Department’s resource budget delivers essential, front-line services; the vast majority of which are regulated, statutory, or contractually obliged.
“This leaves very limited scope to make the kind of cuts to spending that are required. That challenge has been exacerbated by decisions that had to be taken last year and which cannot be repeated.
“After carefully considering the responses, I have had to make difficult decisions to ensure DfI and its delivery partners (DVA, Translink, NI Water, and Waterways Ireland) do everything possible to reduce spending and balance their budgets, while at the same time meeting responsibilities to deliver multiple statutory functions and keep people safe.”
The Department had already reduced ‘discretionary’ spending, not entered into new resource funding commitments, maintained a limited service only on flood risk management and essential road maintenance and stopped recruitment other than for business-critical roles. Further cuts announced include:
• Stopping Departmental spend on road safety advertising and other programmes
• Ending the Cycling Proficiency Scheme (which supports teachers to develop children’s cycling skills)
• Reducing the grant to Community Places (which provides independent planning advice to communities)
• Providing a reduced allocation to the Active Travel School Programme
• Dial-a-Lift services and the Disability Action Transport Scheme will be funded from 1 August at 95% of the level allocated for April to July
• Funding for the Assisted Rural Travel Scheme (ARTS) will continue at current levels
• Community Transport provision for the longer term will be reviewed, to ensure that we are maximising both value for money and outcomes through these key services
• Reductions to ALBs of £53.4m from their originally assessed requirements
Other proposals such as waste water treatment cannot be taken by the Secretary of State and need a Minister in place.
These include:
• stopping waste-water treatment
• reducing essential road maintenance to emergency response only
• reducing winter service to snow clearance only
• stopping the community transport programme
• switching off streetlights (options are being assessed for 24/25)
• stopping flood prevention programmes
DfI says if political decisions are not taken during the year to increase budget allocations or to implement the measures listed above, spend in 2023/24 will exceed the current allocation.
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