Council hits back at Starmer in pothole row
BBCOxfordshire's transport boss has invited Sir Keir Starmer to visit the county's potholes after he criticised the council.
During Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said the government had put "a record amount of money into dealing with potholes" and suggested Lib Dem-run Oxfordshire County Council should be asked "why they're not using that money".
He was responding to Didcot and Wantage MP Olly Glover, who raised concerns about road conditions and questioned why the council's overall budget had fallen by £24.1m in three years.
In a letter to Mr Glover, transport cabinet member Andrew Gant called the PM's comments "untrue and unfair" and invited him to see the condition of local roads.
"It is a slur on the dedication and professionalism of my officers and contractors, who are out all hours and in all weathers providing safe roads for our residents," Gant said.
"Perhaps most worryingly, it shows a complete lack of understanding of the pressures local government is under."
It comes in the week that video showed a scooter rider being hurt when he crashed into a deep pothole in Oxford.
George Balkwill was riding a Voi hired e-scooter when he hit the hole, which was obscured by rainwater.
He was taken to hospital and needed stitches on a wound to his chin.
The government is giving Oxfordshire £167.9m over four years for pothole repairs, but Gant said the council needed £49.9m annually just to maintain roads at their current condition.
The authority said it was topping up the programme with its own capital funds and borrowing.
Opposition Conservative councillor Liam Walker said: "Residents want action on fixing our roads, not excuses," and urged the council to set out how the £169m allocation would be used.
He said the Conservative group proposed extra funding to repair 20,000 potholes but "the other parties voted against it".
A council spokesperson said significant local funding was being added to deliver a "larger and more sustained" maintenance programme.
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