Bexley Council and MP in Heated Dispute Over Road Conditions and Pothole Spending
The ongoing conflict between Bexley Council and Bexleyheath and Crayford MP Daniel Francis has intensified, with both parties presenting starkly contrasting views on the state of the borough's roads and the efficiency of pothole repair work. The Conservative-led council maintains that its highways are in an exceptionally good position, while the Labour MP argues that the authority is failing to adequately spend government funds to address road defects.
Council's Defence: Overspending and High Ratings
At a recent Cabinet meeting on January 26, Councillor Richard Diment, the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, revealed that Bexley Council is projected to overspend on its current road maintenance budget. He confirmed that instructions totalling £919,000 have been issued to contractors, exceeding the £895,000 allocated by the Department for Transport for this financial year. Additionally, when including the council's own budget of £4.96 million, the total instructions amount to £5.4 million.
Councillor Diment attributed the slight budget overrun to potential delays caused by poor weather or emergency utility works, which are increasingly common in the borough. He emphasised that any overspend could be managed by bringing forward funds from next year's budget, ensuring continuity in road maintenance efforts.
Highlighting the council's achievements, Diment pointed to Bexley's green rating on the Department for Transport's local road maintenance scorecards, both for spending and condition. He noted that Bexley is one of only 26 authorities to achieve a green condition rating and ranks as the seventh highest performing council nationally based on the average condition of its A, B, C, and U roads.
Council Leader David Leaf echoed these sentiments, stating, "We are in an exceptionally good position relative to our neighbours, the rest of London, and most of England." He criticised MP Daniel Francis for what he described as "spin and rhetoric" and expressed disappointment that the MP did not acknowledge the efforts of council officers and contractors.
MP's Criticism: Spending Delays and Misleading Claims
In response, Daniel Francis MP accused the council of deflecting attention from its poor performance. He cited meeting papers indicating that only 25 per cent of the Department for Transport's pothole recovery funding and 53 per cent of the council's Highways Maintenance funding had been spent in the first 67 per cent of the financial year.
Francis argued that the council is now in a race against time to spend these funds during the worst weather conditions, due to lacklustre progress in summer and autumn. He also referenced the Department for Transport's amber rating for how well Bexley maintains local roads and uses increased government funding, contradicting the council's claims of top-tier performance.
The MP further disputed the council's assertion about having the seventh best roads in the country, noting that official rankings place Bexley's A roads at 72nd nationally. He accused Conservative councillors of "gaslighting" residents and highlighted a perceived deterioration in road conditions since budget cuts in 2021.
Francis shared examples of resident complaints where potholes were not repaired within agreed timeframes or reports were closed prematurely, only for the council to later acknowledge the need for repairs. He stated, "Like many residents, I am fully aware of how much work remains to be done."
Political Tensions and Broader Implications
The dispute has escalated to parliamentary levels, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously warning that Bexley Council might lose Department for Transport funding if highways are not properly maintained. Council Leader David Leaf sent a letter to the Prime Minister seeking assurances against funding cuts and correcting what he viewed as misinformation from Francis, but has yet to receive a response.
Leaf also praised Bexley residents for their "sterling work" in reporting road defects via the FixMyStreet website, acting as the council's "eyes and ears." He reiterated the council's commitment to ongoing improvements, noting plans to invest millions in pothole repairs, road resurfacing, and pavement maintenance over the next four years.
In a final retort, Leaf suggested that Francis should focus on lobbying the Labour government to reverse funding cuts to Bexley, rather than "picking political fights." The council reports repairing around 2,500 potholes annually and undertaking major works on approximately 300 roads over the past five years, despite challenges from utility works by companies like Thames Water.
This clash underscores the deep political divisions and competing narratives surrounding local infrastructure management, with both sides leveraging data and statistics to support their claims while residents await tangible improvements to their daily commutes.
