A646 Survey

Please read on and then send your comments to me on. No matter where you live I will pass these comments on to the Council.
Thank you
Cllr Jane Brown
(Liberal Democrat Luddendenfoot Ward)

VIEWS SOUGHT ON A646 PROBLEMS

Liberal Democrat councillors in the Luddendenfoot, Calder Valley and Todmorden wards are combining their efforts to find out what the public who live alongside the A646 through the valley think about the state of the road.

Approximately 3,000 leaflets are being distributed by the councillors over the next few weeks and the responses will be reported to the council's Regeneration & Development Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Jane Brown (Luddendenfoot) told us: "All the councillors in the area have come across problems with this road and, in an effort to get these sorted out, we would also like to know what problems members of the public have experienced".

"The main problems seem to stem from the fact that the road from Friendly to the Lancashire border is the responsibility of the Highways Agency, but they have contracted Lancashire County Council to carry out repairs and they in turn have employed a firm based in Wrexham to maintain the street lights. This makes sorting out even the simplest problem more difficult than it need be".

Councillor Julie Dower (Calder Valley) said: "250,000 has recently been spent on installing new street lights along the A646 but many of these are not working, despite being reported a number of times. If new lights needed to be put up, we would like to have ones which work".

"People may remember the long saga of getting a bollard replaced in the centre of Hebden Bridge last year. The time this apparently straight-forward job took leads me to believe that there is room for much improvement in the way these things are dealt with".

Councillor Clare Townley (Todmorden) told us: "The A646 will become the responsibility of Calderdale Council next year. One of the reasons for carrying out this survey and getting the matter looked at now is that we want the road to be handed over in good condition. We do not want it coming to us with a lot of problems which will need sorting out at the local Council Tax payers' expense".

"We also want assurances that any money that Lancashire County Council get from the government to maintain this road will in the future come in full to Calderdale Council" said Councillor Townley.