Call to declare 'roads emergency' in county voted down

Councillor says roads are at 'breaking point'

- Kerry Ashdown

A NEWLY elected county councillor has spoken out after his call to declare Staffordshire is facing a 'roads emergency' was voted down.

Jack Rose, inset above, became the authority's sole Green Party member after being elected to serve the Stafford West and Rural division at May’s election.

And he presented his motion raising concerns about the state of the county's roads at his first full council meeting.

He said: "The state of our county highways is now at breaking point - road users risk damage to their vehicles and injury to themselves travelling on our roads and it is unacceptable. It is time now for us all to hold Highways and their contractor Amey to account and demand that proactive action is taken."

Councillor Rose urged fellow members to formally declare a roads emergency and asked for a debate on the state of the county’s highways, providing a “clear plan of action to tackle the issue, in a cost effective and logical manner”.