Peter Ainsworth MP called an urgent meeting with East Surrey Highways boss, Roger Archer Reeves, to discuss damage to Surrey Highways, including dangerous potholes.
In recent months, Peter Ainsworth has received an unprecedented amount of mail from local residents complaining about the state of the roads in Surrey; many of them citing damage to vehicles and expensive repair bills as a result of poorly maintained highways.
The discussion, which lasted over an hour, highlighted the funding issues faced by Surrey County Council. However, Mr Archer-Reeves also revealed that Carillion, the company which holds the contract for ongoing maintenance of the County’s roads, has been running between four and five repair gangs short in recent months.
Peter Ainsworth said:
“I am grateful to Mr Archer-Reeves for taking the time to meet with me and for being willing to discuss matters in such detail. In recent months, he has overtaken all other Government Ministers and Council Officials to achieve the dubious honour of being the person I correspond with most frequently. As a Surrey road user myself, I can see why residents are concerned. I am especially worried when I hear reports of costly repair bills from constituents who can ill afford this unplanned for expenditure.”
He went on to say:
“It remains a mystery as to why Carillion have been running so short staffed but I have been give assurances that from the 1st August they will be running a full team of 20 gangs repairing potholes across Surrey. I am told that there should be a marked improvement in the situation by October. I will be monitoring the situation closely to ensure that the promised improvements materialise.”
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