Roads

Harbottle Parish Council Position on Roads

• Northumberland County Council has a statutory obligation to maintain roads. Harbottle PC do not own any roads and do not repair roads.

• Harbottle PC have written to NCC Highways at County Hall, Morpeth NE61 2EF. You can also write. The current Head of Highways is Ms Louise Hayward and their Local Environmental Quality Inspector is Mr Nigel Brennen.

• Harbottle PC representatives have attended a meeting with Louise Hayward. Many road repairs in Harbottle Parish have been carried out since this meeting. Nevertheless the council thinks that road conditions are still deplorable.

• Harbottle PC have written to Mr Grant Davey, currently the leader of NCC, expressing our dissatisfaction at the third world standards of our roads and informing him that this PC now advises complainants to sue NCC in the small claims court for the cost of repairing vehicles damaged by badly maintained roads. When the costs of litigation and compensation exceed the cost of road maintenance common sense may prevail. You can also write to him at the County Hall, Morpeth NE61 2EF.

• Harbottle PC have written to our MP, currently Rt.Hon. Sir Alan Beith, at The House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA, regarding the distribution of government funding to regions. NCC blame lack of road maintenance on inadequate funding. You can also write.

• On the subject of highways Harbottle PC have also provided NCC with an itemised list of potholes and resurfacing requirements together with unmaintained road edges, lack of road drainage, inadequate road signage and markings, uncut intrusive vegetation and the lack of surface dressing to shed water and prevent ingress.

NCC’s priorities are A and B roads. Roads in rural areas like Harbottle are either C or Unclassified.

Reporting road faults on “fixmystreet.com” may prove effective.

03/12/13