Oxfordshire road repairs and potholes 'should be priority'

Fears have been expressed over "a £335 million funding gap" for addressing issues such as filling potholes, fixing roads and improving pavements as critics believe the council prioritising new transport schemes in the county instead. 

This comes as the county council reaffirmed its commitment to carrying out the Watlington Relief Road scheme which will run from the western side of the town on the B4009 and connect back to the east side, despite the drop in central government funding that the project was expected to receive.

A number of road building projects across Oxfordshire will also go ahead in the next few years, including improvements to the A34 Lodge Hill Interchange and the Kennington stretch of the A423.

Labour county councillor Charlie Hicks submitted a written question asking whether the authority would review its capital infrastructure budget and focus on maintaining existing roads over “costly road capacity-increasing schemes”, before the full Oxfordshire County Council meeting held at County Hall last week. 

(Image: Contributed) Cabinet member for transport management Andrew Gant responded in writing that road safety would be a “key part of the budget-setting process”, and that money for new road schemes was “ring-fenced” for those specific projects, and therefore would not be available for road maintenance.

After the meeting, Mr Hicks said: "If this year's budget doesn't plug the hole, Oxfordshire is looking at a £335 million funding gap in filling potholes, fixing roads and improving pavements, which is the number one issue for local residents.

“This is where money for roads should be spent first.

"In Tuesday's full council meeting, I got confirmation from three Lib Dem cabinet members that they would stick to the council's transport policy in the upcoming budget.

“That would mean looking again at the Watlington Relief Road to make sure it aligns to council transport policy to reduce car trips, and if it doesn't, then changing the design or dropping the scheme.

"If the Lib Dems are true to their word, then we need the Lib Dem leader of the council to come out publicly and confirm that they are committed to the council's transport policies and filling potholes as a priority, rather than giving more money carte-blanche to complete new road schemes that go against council policy.”

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Mr Gant said: “I do not recognise councillor Hicks's figures for future road maintenance. We have not agreed next year's budget yet, never mind 10 years hence.

“Maintenance, road safety and climate have always played, and will continue to play, a key part in the overall budget setting process for this administration.

(Image: Oxfordshire County Council) “Regarding any new road schemes, the part of the capital programme which is intended for this purpose is, in the main, directly funded from external sources – generally grants from central Government agencies.

“As part of securing those funds, that money is ring-fenced for use in those specific projects and so not available for wider maintenance work.

“However, we will always ensure that safety, the climate, and maintenance considerations are at the heart of any new road design and construction programmes.

“Next year’s budget and capital programme is not confirmed yet, but the principles of our local transport and connectivity policy will be applied clearly.”

He added that funding for the Watlington Relief Road would be addressed as part of the business planning process and the capital programme, which will be approved by the council in February 2025.

The Watlington Relief Road was originally awarded £7.1 million of Housing and Growth Deal funding, but the amount was recently reduced to £4.327 million.

£2.773 million was reallocated to other projects within the wider Housing and Growth Deal portfolio.

The county council will use money from the 2025/26 Budget to fund the rest of the development.

The leader of county council Liz Leffman added: “Watlington has a severe traffic problem. The Watlington Relief Road will take traffic that currently passes through the town centre out of the central area and, in doing so, result in a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists.

“My recent visit to the town was an opportunity to observe first hand why the road is needed now.”

(Image: Contributed) Commenting on plans for the Watlington Relief Road, David Rouane, leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “The relief road is a vital infrastructure proposal that would alleviate significant congestion and air quality issues in Watlington town centre, which is an Air Quality Management Area.

“The road is included in the town’s Neighbourhood Plan, which local residents started consulting on and developing in 2014 and voted in favour of in a 2018 referendum.

"The proposals to reserve land for the road were included in a public consultation on the South Oxfordshire Local Plan as far back as 2017.

“The road was also included as an Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal project - a deal that was made in 2017 and saw South Oxfordshire taking the largest share of the housing but being allocated a tiny share of the infrastructure funding.”

He added that this timeline pre-dates the current administrations of the county and district council, and that members of the Watlington community have worked on the idea for as long as 10 years.

The county council’s planning committee rejected the HIF1 scheme last year, which would create a dual carriageway on the A4130 from the A34 Milton Interchange before Didcot.

The Planning Inspectorate recently confirmed it is yet to decide the outcome of the application.

The county council recently submitted a planning application for the Watlington Relief Road to the local planning authority, and a decision will be made early next year.