Oldham roads and pavements budget slashed by almost 25% since 2020

New figures revealed by Oldham Liberal Democrats show that budgets for road and pavement improvement works have been slashed by almost 25% in just three years. 

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said the findings were “a damning reflection on Oldham Council and it’s Labour administration.”

The figures, which were uncovered by a Freedom of Information request made by the Liberal Democrats, show that the overall highways budget fell from just under £7.9m in the year 2020/21, to just over £5.9m in 2022/23. 

Councillor Sykes said, “When I speak to the people I represent, the state of the roads and footpaths is always one of the top concerns.  But capital budgets, which are the monies used for road resurfacing and other long-term repair projects, have fallen steadily over the last few years.  Time and again, council bosses are ignoring the basics and people are sick of it.”

The Liberal Democrat Leader called on council chiefs to “revisit their budget priorities” to avoid deeper costs further down the line. 

Councillor Sykes said, “If the council doesn’t get itself into gear and start funding our roads, pavements and cycle routes properly, the costs will be bigger in the long run.  Whether it is because the council has to pay out in damages or because more costly repairs are needed, the result is the same.  The deeper the potholes get, the deeper the cost to the public.”

NOTES

FOI response on highways capital expenditure provided to the Liberal Democrats

Note: the reduction in capital expenditure from 2020/21 to 2022/23 is 23.9%
“In response to your request for environmental information regarding expenditure on highways and pavements, Oldham Council is happy to supply the following figures for each of the years requested:”

	Revenue	Capital
2019/20	£2,154,321.27	£6,541,928.67
2020/21	£1,528,528.80	£7,867,871.71
2021/22	£1,975,967.78	£6,931,820.53
2022/23	£2,431,467.43	£5,985,217.16
2023/24	£2,304,910.00	£3,965,387.31