Claims '£8 million underspend is making road flooding even worse'
As Storm Christoph passes through, today we’re asking why do the same roads in Devon seem to flood during each storm?
Last updated 21st Jan 2021
Yesterday there were flooding problems once again near Chudleigh and on Ashburton Road out of Newton Abbot - similar to a storm around 12 months ago in February 2020.
The leader of Teignbridge council and Devon county councillor Alan Connett (Lib Dem) says in February 2020 - during the county council's annual budget setting process - he asked about an £8 million underspend on highways drainage since 2010.
He suggests that better drainage could help ease some issues. We have contacted the county council for a response which we'll bring you once issued.
Councillor Connett said: "Devon County Council has only itself to look at in this regard.
"We know that the county council, under the Conservatives, have spent £8 million less than they promised on drainage works.
"I believe that's why we're getting some of these issues now that drivers are reporting and complaining about time and time again because the money that was promised wasn't spent.
"I asked a question at county council in February last year as part of the budget. How much had been promised to be spent on highways drainage in the previous years (since 2010) and how much was actually spent.
"When you added up the figures there's a missing eight million pounds that should have been spent on highways drainage that wasn't spent.
"The issue around this is when roads flood and the water freezes that makes potholes worse. It also means if there's a weakness in the road surface potholes are created.
"Time and time again drivers complain about the potholes, about the poor surfaces and while the county has invested money in trying to fix the roads very clearly it's a false economy when they are not spending all that they promised on highways drainage works - and that's part of the problem.
"They need to get water off the road and the flooding that you're seeing is a direct consequence of that hidden saving - cut in fact - that's been made by county hall on essential highways drainage works."
We will bring you a county council response if issued and also include on our radio news bulletins.
Figures show in 2018/19 the council budgeted for £6,897,893.00 and actually spent more than the budget of £7,342,878.01.
The year before, 2017/18, the council budgeted £5,136,631.00 and actually spent £4,044,566.61
In 2016/17, the council budgeted £5,337,527.00 and spent 4,459,497.87.
The full figures can be found here at Item 9.
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