Alex Easton MLA has today expressed deep alarm after a NI Assembly question to the Infrastructure Minister showed figures on expenditure for roads in the Ards and North Down area, are not being treated fairly in terms of funding .
Speaking today Alex Easton MLA said:
“I really am shocked and disappointed at the figures produced for a NI Assembly question on the funding for each council area for Transport NI for new capital maintenance and also Resource Structural maintenance for funding for our road network. The figures reveal that Ards and North Down Council area get the least amount of funding for roads maintenance and for new road resurfacing compared to all other council areas across Northern ireland. What is even more staggering is that it is considerably less with only £4,852,000 for capital maintenance, and only £387,000 for resource maintenance for the whole council area.”
“This is totally shocking and questions need to be asked as to how this is being handled and broken-down and decided at a Ministerial level. Something is not quite right and the Minister for Infrastructure will need to explain why we are the poor relation. Also an interesting fact is that at a Road Eastern Divisional level the funding is also the lowest with the vast majority of funding going to the West and Southern Roads Divisions. The emphasis is on the rural network and towns are losing out. At the moment I have managed to get the following roads onto the roads resurfacing reserve list.”
Roads resurfaced list Willowbrook Pk, Rosepark Donaghaee, Hawthorne Drive Bgr, Beechwood Grds Bgr, Beechwood Ave Bgr, Downshire Rd Bgr, Farnham Rd Bgr, Hawthorne Ct Bgr, Meadow Pk Crafordsburn, Ava St Bgr, Southwell Rd Bgr, Manse Rd Bgr , Clanmorris Ave Bgr, Moss Rd Millisle, William St, Donaghadee, Wandsworth Rd Bgr, The Green, Conlig.
These roads are in a mess and can’t wait for years to be resurfaced, funding needs to be distributed more fairly and I want my area treated fairly by Transport NI and the Department for Infrastructure.”
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