Each county councillor receives just over £5000 to spend on highways improvements across their area each year. The budget is called the LAMA fund. In the past we have spent this on road repairs, pavement renewal and replacement, disability dropped kerbs, pedestrian crossings, speed visors and road humps and various other things which are priorities for our residents.

The Labour run council has decided to axe this fund. The money will be given directly to highways officers to decide on where it is spent. This removes democratic accountability and it is wrong.

The council argues it will mean more money to spend on footpath repairs and the like. The reality is though that there are no guarantees that they will not cut the budget any time they like, which can happen without us even finding out given the black hole which is county hall these days.

I proposed an alternative which would see £600,000 ringfenced for councillors to apply to with other funding we receive to help get more highways repairs done, whilst at the same time saving money, but so far this has been refused by head officers and cabinet members. I have emailed all 125 fellow councillors today to explain to them my alternative in the hope that Labour councillors will look at this and see if this proposal or any alternatives are available to help protect local democratic accountability.

In the meantime, working with Mamie and Amanda we will continue our hard work to get as much work carried out in our area as possible, which has seen significant matched funding brought in by your Lib Dem councillors to help get roads and footpaths resurfaced and repaired across the area over the last few years.