North West Cambridgeshire candidates talk potholes

Sam Carling (Labour)

Sam Carling is the Labour candidate for North West Cambridgeshire. (Image: Sam Carling)

"The potholes cratering our roads are a visible sign of the decline in Britain’s infrastructure after 14 years of Conservative government.

This is a national issue, caused largely by continual cuts to local councils, and as well as being a significant safety threat, the damage to cars that this situation is causing results in repair costs of hundreds of pounds for drivers.

Labour has a plan to fix one million extra potholes every year, funded by deferring the A27 bypass (a project far from our area which is poor value for money), and we will also support drivers by tackling the soaring cost of car insurance.

Cars remain the most popular mode of transport, but many people are also reliant on public transport.

Labour would bring the railways back into public ownership, allowing us to deliver reliable, affordable and efficient services.

We would also bring in new powers for local government leaders to franchise bus services, giving local communities more control over routes and schedules – and we would give mayors the power to create unified and integrated transport systems, building on the work Labour is already doing locally to bring down fares and deliver additional routes for our communities."

Shailesh Vara (Conservative) 

Shailesh Vara is the Conservative candidate for North West Cambridgeshire. (Image: Shailesh Vara)

"The repair of road surfaces and potholes is a major issue in the constituency.

The Government has made available £8.3 billion for repairs, but a serious concern is the long delays from when potholes are reported to when the work is completed.

And when the work is done, it is with inferior materials, which requires re-doing a few months later, costing the taxpayer more in the long term. 

It is important that good quality materials are used. I raised the issue in Parliament and the Prime Minister agreed, saying “it is of the utmost importance that these repairs are completed with high-quality materials.”

With the funds being made available by the Government, there is no reason for Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council not to do the work properly, and I have urged them to do so.

It is also extraordinary that the councils will fix large potholes but not smaller ones nearby, preferring instead to wait for them to get bigger before re-scheduling repair works.

This is a complete waste of time and resources and I believe the public will agree that the councils need to use a more efficient method of working."

Elliot Tong (Green Party) 

Elliot Tong is the Green Party candidate for North West Cambridgeshire. (Image: Elliot Tong)

"Our roads are in a dreadful state, with potholes causing problems for cyclists and drivers alike.

A decade of austerity under the Conservatives has starved councils of the resources that they desperately need to sort out local issues, including repairs.

Immediate action needs to be taken to fix this. The Green Party fights for councils to have more control over their own area, providing them with the funding and authority to do so.

It is essential that we empower our communities to create a nicer place to live, as residents will always know better than a bunch of people over in Westminster.

It is important to note that potholes can be particularly dangerous for cyclists. Upon analysing figures put out by the Department for Transport, PA news agency concluded that the poor state of our roads contributed to the deaths of 20 cyclists in England between 2012 and 2022, with another 470 being seriously injured.

It is crucial that more is done to keep cyclists safe, a fact that the Green Party recognises, pledging to make sure that an extra £2.5 billion is put into providing new cycleways and footpaths every year."

Bridget Smith (Lib Dem)

Bridget Smith is the Lib Dem candidate for North West Cambridgeshire. (Image: Bridget Smith)

"This Conservative government has decimated local government finance, leaving local councils with difficult decisions on where their dwindling budget can be spent.

One of the most obvious signs of this is where road maintenance budgets have been squeezed and the resultant epidemic of potholes across our area has now appeared.

At a time when the cost of living is soaring, damage caused to vehicles has added to insurance premiums not to mention the inconvenience of getting vehicles fixed. Our road maintenance budgets need to be restored and a programme of pothole fixing needs to be put in place just to get back to a satisfactory road network.

Alongside this we need to look at our public transport networks, putting in extra routes where there is demand and build a timetable that is reliable and cost effective. We need to implement bus franchising as they have in London with TFL and have it integrate with rail services for a proper solution, especially where they service out rural communities.

We also need to look at the state of our footpaths, which have been left to decay over decades and present a danger to pedestrians, especially the vulnerable, which leads to trips and falls that put an unnecessary burden on our NHS emergency services.

James Sidlow (Reform UK)

James Sidlow is the Reform UK candidate for North West Cambridgeshire. (Image: James Sidlow)

"Subsidence and potholes are big problems in the Fens, and the local authority should be properly equipped to deal with these issues promptly before they cause substantial dips in the roads which become dangerous.

Poor road surfaces risk lives with large dips and potholes making roads especially dangerous to motorcyclists and cyclists, and we all know chronically damaged roads that are notoriously dangerous and in need of continuous repair. 

As discussed in Parliament in May, substandard repair is unacceptable due to inadequate materials being used, resulting in problems recurring quickly.

Short-term fixes like this at a local level are a symptom of a broader culture of short-sightedness within our government and political establishment. If elected on July 4, I would push to ensure that quick fixes were a thing of the past and that the correct materials and funding were available to promptly ensure safety, longevity and value for money for constituents.

With the cost-of-living soaring, and household budgets continuously squeezed, the last thing constituents need are increased vehicle maintenance costs due to potholes.

We are all concerned about sustainability and we would like to increase the longevity of our vehicles."