Cuts to highways budgets start to bite

1.10.03pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 17th Sep 2007

The Tory-controlled County Council's cuts to the road maintenance budget are starting to make themselves felt all across the County.

In our area Parish Councils have found requests for small changes turned down. In Wicken, the Parish Council wanted to improve safety at the junction of Way Lane and Stretham Road, where accidents and near misses with slow-moving traffic turning right had been reported.

"This is the first fast bit of road coming from Wicken and people try to overtake there", says Judy Broadway.

"I put it forward for better road markings or signs but was told there was no money in the budget. And we are not even half-way through the year yet. There are many other examples of small-scale improvements which would normally be funded that have now been cut.

The Tories actually underspent by over £2m last year, so this looks like poor budget management to me."