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Pothole misery to end at last
Pot holes and uneven roads which are causing damage to vehicles in Sheffield and have cost the Sheffield council �1.23 million in compensation and legal fees over the last four years. Damage on Halifax Road near Foxhill
LONG-awaited work to resurface Sheffield’s crumbling roads at a cost of £2 billion will finally begin in six months – and should create more than 100 new jobs.
Workmen will move on to the first streets to be resurfaced ‘in August or September’.
Sheffield Council has confirmed it will select its preferred contractor from a shortlist of two – Amey and Carillion Mouchel – in April.
The huge 25-year council contract is going ahead despite mass cutbacks elsewhere nationwide.
It will be funded with £1.1bn from the Government under the Private Finance Initiative scheme, and £900m from the council’s own budget.
Sheffield Council chief executive John Mothersole said: “The project is now moving forward. A decision will be made to select a preferred bidder in around seven weeks’ time and the work is due to start in August or September.”
The news was welcomed by Sheffield Motorists’ Forum member Mac Millard, aged 75, a retired postman, of Longley, who said: “I’m very pleased it is finally going ahead, it’s about time. Improving the roads has to be a priority because they have been in a poor state for 30 years.”
Mr Mothersole said the contract was one of only three similar schemes nationwide to survive ‘a change of Government, a recession and comprehensive spending review’.
“Now it is time to make it happen,” he said.
As well as the creation of more than 100 new jobs, the scheme will involve the transfer of employment of 500 staff from the Street Force department.
But Mr Mothersole promised the council has ‘sought assurances’ from both bidders that other Street Force services, including street cleaning and highway gritting, will be protected in their current form.
Rod Padley, Unison branch convenor at Sheffield Council who has been representing Street Force staff in negotiations, said he believes the contract will be good news overall - but his union is politically opposed to what it sees as ‘privatisation’.
But he said: “Everyone will be transferred according to the same terms and conditions so will not lose out. We are also encouraged because we understand a large number of the new jobs being created will be apprenticeships, giving hope for young people on the back of youth unemployment reaching its highest-ever level.”
The scheme was given initial approval by the then Labour Government in early 2008.
Under the original timetable the preferred contractor was due to be selected last autumn, but there was a six-month delay when the project was put under review by Chancellor George Osborne.
It was granted final approval once £40m of savings were made to minor aspects of the scheme - such as the age at which traffic lights should be replaced, and changes to the replacement of roadside trees.
‘Core’ areas, such as carriageway and footpath resurfacing and street light replacement, were unaffected.
Sheffield Hallam MP and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg welcomed news of the project’s imminent start.
“This will be great for jobs, great for local businesses and, above all, great for the people of the city who have had to accept shoddy roads as a fact of life,” he said.
“The fact the Coalition has backed this £2bn project when money is so tight shows how committed we are to boosting Sheffield’s economy.”
Sheffield Council cabinet member for environment and transport, Coun Leigh Bramall, said: “It’s great this project will not only transform our roads but will also create new jobs and help stimulate the local economy, particularly as the project will create the opportunity for much needed apprenticeships and graduate training.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 16 comments to this article
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Los Blancos Galactico Rossoneri Mancunian
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 12:44 PMNorfolk Street, Norfolk Row and Surrey Street could do with resurfacing and repaving!
Los Blancos Galactico Rossoneri Mancunian
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 10:07 PMI believe it when I see it!
Archangel
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 01:30 PMMothersole and his cabal care not one fig for Sheffield. This scheme may improve the roads but its raking in the cash for the contractors. A house of commons paper puts these companies, in various partnerships at the top of tables for workers injured or killed in roadworks for at least 5 successive years, bet thats not on the tender list.
Ukip
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 01:24 PMI think you will find that the upkeep of the trunk roads etc was given to local authorities like Sheffield and RMBC, rather than the government maintaining them, which may be when the problem started. It is the 80% tax money on fuel and annual road tax we all pay, where ever we live, that goes to the up keep of the roads where ever they are. It can't be right that certain cars pay no annual road tax, when they use the roads. Central government gives Sheffield and Rotherham RMBC money towards this. The problem is the government seems to be holding back the money to spend on things other than roads, probably on all the professional welfare claimants out there. The central government is to blame for much of this, not just the local authorities.
Zap
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 12:56 PM@I remember = the current budget is £29mil - the council are staggering the costs so it starts cheap = £30mil a year and increases upwards to £60+mil in later years Council have a good record on these big projects - World Student Games - still paying for it, Veolia waste contract - paying for it what thinks Highway pfi any different - we'll still be paying in 50 years for it once they decide to miss a few payments
Ukip
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 11:47 AMIseeverything. I don't live in Sheffield or Rotherham. But it isn't an exclusive story to Sheffield and I would expect the roads to be in better condition considering that 80% of every gallon is tax. I left the banking in industry ten years ago and work for myself. I spend a considerable more time on my own business, which involves me being on the internet for most of my day. Why do you have so much time to spend on the internet?
unclepotter
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 11:12 AMWhen this project was first announced the figure of around £660 million was quoted,now we aretalking £2 Billion !!!!
seenitall
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 10:42 AMDecades of neglect,ing to maintain our roads often caused by short-sighted local political positioning, are to be finally rectified by a PFI...which will cost us the taxpayer the earth and for years to come. And we vote for them...with free will?
Bytor
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 10:15 AMOh dear, PFI's have been denounced by all the 3 major parties as it's akin to buying your house using a credit card. Anyone who thinks come one day in October we will all wake up to see perfect roads everywhere is as sadly deluded as JM. Years of upheaval (just think of the Meadowhead fiasco) followed by years of paying whatever the contractor dictates (think Kier) Drinks All Round!!
ISeeEverything
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 10:05 AMUkip, as you live in Rotherham, I would rather you didn't comment on exclusively Sheffield stories. Does your employer know you spend all day on the internet? No wonder the banking sector is in such a bad state.
Ukip
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 09:51 AMFray. If you like I can get you 100's of pictures of the roads where I live, that look as bad as that if not worse. But then I live in third world RMBC.
fray
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 09:16 AMThe photograph shows a service road, used only to access about 20 homes. Rather misleading.
awreetthen
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 08:55 AMRemove all the speed bumps and use the spoil to fill in the potholes. Result--a city that accepts that the motor car may be here to stay and needs a safe road system. Any spoil left over can be used to fill the empty spaces between ears at the Town Hall mandarins.
PaulSheffield
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 08:43 AMAs much as this will be welcomed as the roads are in a desperate state I can't help thinking that SCC will totally **** this up like they do everything else they try to do
Charlie Farleigh
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 08:28 AMHas anybody had a drink? Does anybody know?
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