Worker shortage 'slowing up Belfast roadworks'

A lack of roadworkers is slowing up the completion of road improvements across Belfast, with nearly a third of roles vacant, the city's council has been told.

Officials from the Department of Infrastructure (DfI) told a Belfast City Council committee that staffing pressures were its greatest challenge and meant essential maintenance has to be prioritised.

It comes as Belfast continues to experience significant amounts of traffic congestion.

A number of roads in the city have been closed for maintenance while, the opening of the new Grand Central Station has also added to traffic issues.

At the council’s City Growth and Regeneration Committee, the roads eastern division manager for the DfI, Des McFarlane, told councillors that significant staffing issues were affecting the department's ability to "deliver all elements" of their work.

He said the department "continues to prioritise essential front-line services", with initial capital funding of £89m being allocated to structural maintenance, such as "high-priority road resurfacing and drainage works".

However budget constraints means the department has to "prioritise essential services", and that there will be a "limited service policy such for routine maintenance such as road defects and grass cutting", Mr McFarlane added.

Councillors were told that the roads division is currently has 40 professional technical vacancies - a vacancy rate of about 29%.

That rate is even higher at "tech grade", which includes road inspectors.

The department's industrial workforce has an overall vacancy rate of about 32%, while among consultants - who design, deliver and supervise resurfacing schemes - there is a vacancy rate of 33%.

"We can mitigate to some extent by redeploying staff to safety critical posts, but unfortunately in these circumstances we don’t have staff always available to attend external meetings, as we would have done in the past," Mr McFarlane said.

He noted this was taking place at a time when the department was facing extra pressures.

In addition to normal activities, staff in the division are advising on initiatives such the Eastern Transport Plan, the Belfast Rapid Transport plan and sustainable travel.

On the development of Belfast Grand Central Station, the division are advising on the design and temporary traffic management, especially in relation to the current closure of Durham Street.

“I am telling you this so you can fully appreciate the pressures that our staff are under, and why we are not always able to respond as quickly, either by phone or in correspondence, because we are under immense pressure at a time when we have such a high vacancy rate," Mr McFarlane added.