Rural Denbighshire roads compared to ‘third world’ amid calls for extra investment

Denbighshire’s rural roads were compared to those in the “third world” by concerned councillors demanding more money is spent on them.

A heated debate took place at a Denbighshire Council cabinet meeting at Ruthin County Hall where councillors discussed its draft budget plan and agreed on a council tax increase of 3.8%.  The final budget will now be decided by full council at a future meeting.

But during the cabinet meeting, council leader Cllr Jason McLellan said the local authority had to plug a £10.8m funding gap.

Several councillors complained not enough money was being spent maintaining the roads, especially rural roads damaged by adverse weather – with one councillor branding some country roads “third world”.

Alyn Valley councillor Terry Mendies said: “It is very disappointing that there is nothing in the budget for roads, particularly rural roads.

“Yes, Tim Towers (Denbighshire’s highways manager) has £4m a year, and it is pleasing that the council is going to endorse that and continue that; however, that was set ten months ago by a previous cabinet.

“So what Tim Towers bought for £4m last year he’s not going to (be able to) buy this year (due to inflation).

“I would like to invite Cllr Barry Mellor (cabinet member for highways) to come with me. I’ll take you around two wards that I live and work in, and they (roads) are absolutely positively third world.

“Some of them are even impassable, and that’s before we get this next cold snap in February.”

Cllr McLellan acknowledged Cllr Mendies’ complaints and said the matter could be further debated when the budget is next discussed by full council.

Responding to the concerns, Cllr Mellor said: “I went a full day with Tim (Towers), travelling all through the south, and you’re right; some of the roads are in a really bad state.

“You can only do what you can do with the money that you’ve got.”

Cllr Mellor said the council had to balance raising money with setting a fair level of council tax for residents.

He said other local authorities were likely to raise their rates by higher than 3.8 per cent and questioned where the money for extra investment in roads would come from.

Cllr Feely said: “All I’m saying is the conditions of our weather of the last year, or certainly six months, have been at times so unusual and bad that maybe our estimate was wrong in the first place as to how much it (the work) would cost.

“It is not a question of us saying ‘we don’t like that’. We are talking about roads that are hardly passable.”

She added: “We can’t just leave them like that. Some of them are that bad they are going to damage cars. They could damage people.”

Cllr McLellan said: “Weather is getting harsher, climate change. We need contingencies and longer-term planning.

“I think that is what you are saying, and I wouldn’t disagree with that. I hear what you are saying. You’ve made a good case for rural roads.”

Council officers said the budget could allow for an additional £2m of capital expenditure which could be used for roads if councillors wanted to.

But the conversation returned to setting the draft budget, and it was agreed the debate would continue at a future meeting.

By Richard Evans – Local Democracy Reporter