Verge maintenance funding sparks safety concerns

Concerns have been raised about road safety if funding for verge cutting by highway rangers was not secured.

Rochford District Council would need to make £70,000 in savings to fund the service for the next financial year.

District councils were given responsibility for verge maintenance after Essex County Council scrapped its own budget for the service in late 2022.

However, Rochford said funding a sustainable service could require cuts.

Slashing the sports pavilions budget, transferring money from the car parks budget to the grounds maintenance pot and repurposing the parking funding allocation have all been suggest as cost-saving measures.

Rochford District Council said it was also looking to establish whether the county council was fulfilling its statutory duty for cutting the grass at roadsides, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Essex Highways Rangers also oversaw cleaning and repairs to road signs and bollards, as well as the trimming of vegetation.

The county council admitted it was running a policy of "managed decline" on its roads.

Rochford is run by a coalition of Liberal Democrats, Green and independent councillors.

Vilma Wilson, from the Rochford District Residents group, told a meeting of the council's executive: "I’m torn with this because I don’t like paying twice for something, but actually the point is that basically it’s what residents expect.

"I do think it’s such an essential piece of work that needs to be carried out, not just for safety reasons, but we don’t want our district to look shoddy.

“We’ve spent a lot of time and effort making sure we look as smart and presentable as we can. I don’t want Rochford’s reputation to go downhill.”

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