It’s been a couple of months since the May elections, and the City Council is settling down to business as usual. Councillors have been appointed to the various committees overseeing the City Council’s running.
At Essex County Council has started another round of its ‘Member Led Potholes Scheme’ where each County Councillor is able to identify up to eighteen potholes in their area for priority treatment.
I posted a request on Facebook for residents to make representations and also asked all the South Woodham Ferrers Town Councillors to identify potholes in their wards.
Only three – Peter Ferry, Lisa Kelly, and Darren Thompson took the time to respond, so I can only presume that the roads are not as bad as in other parts of our County.
Nothing, interestingly, from the local Council Taxpayers Association representatives who have declared their intention to “HOLDING THE PARTIES WHO RUN OUR TOWN TO ACCOUNT!” (their capitals), again I can only presume that there are no potholes in Woodville Ward.
Residents had already identified potholes in Benbow Drive to me, so I’ve reported those, those identified by our Town Councillors, and the potholes on the ‘S’ bend on the B1418 towards Woodham Ferrers.
Update – On July 18th I waas driving towards Chelmsford on the B1418 and saw a highways engineer highlighting multiple potholes – beyond those I reported – inclding some that had previously only received temporary repairs. It remains to be seen if Essex Highways treat the potholes with more than white aerosol, but fingers crossed!
Early next month, Essex Highways plans to resurface the Inchbonnie Road stretch between Ferrers Road and Clements Green Lane.
Clements Green Lane itself is scheduled for resurfacing this financial year; the problems with the road surface are defined as ‘delamination’ and so cannot be treated by the County’s pothole teams.
There will be a second round of the scheme in October, so I will be asking for another eighteen potholes again nearer that time.
Bob Massey
Representing the residents of Chetwood & Collingwood Ward at Chelmsford City Council, and South Woodham Ferrers at Essex County Council.