£80m investment to improve City's highways

LIVERPOOL is to invest £80m over the next 8 years in improving the condition of the City's highways network.  The move is expected to deliver major savings for the City by reducing urgent and on-going highway repairs; which can often be more costly than a planned improvement programme; and reducing public liability claims.

The City's Cabinet will be asked, on Friday, 21 February 2014, to give the go ahead to the plans, which will drastically cut Liverpool's £256m highways maintenance backlog by 2022.

Under the proposals, major work will take place to improve the poorest sections of the highway network, particularly the strategic gateways into Liverpool and key links within the City. The work, which will include carriageway resurfacing and pothole repairs, will be carried out over 8 years, avoiding simultaneous work on neighbouring routes, to keep disruption to a minimum.

Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said:- "A lack of investment is primarily due to a shortage of central government funding; over a number of years, has seen our roads continue to deteriorate. I am constantly talking to local people about the potholes and damaged road surfaces which not only damage cars, but damage our City's image. We want to take significant steps in putting that right.  The delivery of £6m road improvements at Sefton Park was one of my first priorities as Mayor and has transformed the experience of driving and cycling around the park. I'm determined that as many of our key roads as possible are brought up to a similarly high standard."

Liverpool City Council would secure £80m of funding for the work by using money which is known as:- 'capital and capital investment'. This is money which the City Council is not allowed to spend on day-to day services but which can only be spent on property and assets, such as land and our roads. In household terms, capital is similar to borrowing through a mortgage and using the money to buy a house or pay for an extension.

The City Council will also seek to identify sources of additional private and other public sector funding, including utility companies, throughout the programme, to help finance the work.

Currently, the City Council receives approximately £3.5m each year from central government for the maintenance of its highways, including carriageways, footways, street lighting, and highway structures. This annual funding will be directed towards the on-going maintenance of roads not included in the £80m investment programme, such as unclassified roads, and B and C roads.

Mayor Anderson added:- "We know that significant investment is required to improve our highways network. But we also understand the huge economic benefits of well-maintained, high-quality highways. They keep traffic flowing, keep vehicle running costs low, and by ensuring people and goods can move efficiently, make our City a more desirable place to live, work, visit and do business.  This work will significantly reduce our highways maintenance backlog over the coming years, and as such, is an important component in the on-going regeneration and development of our City."

Key areas which could benefit from the City's £80m highways investment include:-

► Islington & surrounding areas
► Kensington/Prescot Road (Low Hill to Newton Road)
► Parliament Street and Upper Parliament Street
► St James Street/St James Place/Park Place
► Smithdown Road/Allerton Road
► Scotland Road/Kirkdale Road/ Walton Road/County Road
► Walton Vale/County Road
► East Lancashire Road
► Edge Lane

Cabinet Member for Transport, Councillor Tim Moore, said:- "These proposals are hugely important for Liverpool. Our highways network has been in desperate need of investment for many years and this approach gives us the opportunity to unlock funding which can drive up the quality of roads across our City.   We are identifying those routes which carry huge volumes of traffic, which are of the most strategic importance to the City, and which are in poor condition. We will then deliver a programme which not only improves those roads, but which ensures they remain in good condition for many years to come. We will also be looking to take the opportunity to introduce new cycle lanes where appropriate. This investment will be welcomed by motorists who have demanded that something is done to improve the condition of our roads. We have listened, and we are taking action."

Roads will be prioritised based on condition and other factors, such as strategic importance, economic benefits, development potential of the area and the cost of on-going maintenance. The programme will continually evolve and a revised programme will be prepared annually to meet the changing needs of the City.

Robust engineering techniques will be used to ensure that the roads will be durable into the future, and condition data for each road section will be monitored throughout the programme delivery period.

The Highway Network Investment Programme will be delivered by Amey LG Limited, under the Council's existing contract for Highways.

North West Euro-MP nominated for environment award

A North West area MEP has been shortlisted to win a prestigious award for his services to the environment.  Liberal Democrat Chris Davies has been nominated to become a Parliamentarian of the Year for his work in promoting reform of Europe's common fisheries policy.

All 766 MEPs will now vote to select the winners in each category who will be presented by The Parliament magazine with their awards at a ceremony in Brussels next month.

Davies has led the 85 strong European Liberal Democrat group on the EU Parliament Environment committee since he was elected in 1999. He has been described by WWF, the Worldwide Fund for Nature, as one of the 'most influential' MEPs for building coalitions in support of measures to protect the environment.

The MEP formed a cross-party campaign group:- 'Fish for the Future', which helped to secure the votes of 502 MEPs in favour of ambitious reform.

The new fisheries policy is already being credited with helping to rebuild Europe's depleted fish stocks. A ban on the discard of fish will be phased in from next year.

Davies said:- "Reforming the CFP was a team achievement and I am hugely pleased to have played a part in bringing it about.  Overfishing and bad practices have cut fish stocks and cost jobs, but we now have fishermen and scientists working together to bring about improvement. The future for fish and our fishermen is looking bright.  I was elected as an MEP to work with our European partners to find shared solutions to the problems we face in common. Our new approach to fishing policy shows how successful that can sometimes be."

Davies's rivals for the award on the shortlist are French centre right MEP Maurice Ponga and German Green Reinhard Butikofer.