Kent County Council Wasting Tax Payers Money

It beggars belief that Kent County Highways Department seems to have no regard for tax payer’s money. How many other local authorities are wasting money as though it is confetti.

Following my Freedom of Information request as to how much the senseless junction changes at Waterloo Road and the A229 Angley Road junction cost, the well compensated ‘experts’ in road traffic management have now astonishingly, after just 5 months in operation, reverted the junction back to its previous layout. Go figure!

KCC’s response to my FOI is as follows: “The scheme was installed following concerns raised by your County Member, Sean Holden, with regard to large vehicles mistakenly going through the town of Cranbrook rather than following the A229. The scheme is designed to direct vehicles towards the A229 with Cranbrook being accessed via a left slip lane. The construction cost of the works was £41,741.39.”

Seemed reasonable, even laudable, but surely a significant early warning sign in German, French, Polish, Spanish etc. would have been more effective and a fraction of the cost. Astoundingly by reverting to the original arrangement, HGVs can now continue to enter Cranbrook. Again, I say Go figure!

The total cost of a succession of needless junction changes to the tax payer is now more than £50,000. What highly paid moron sanctioned this amount of spend to be poured down that huge public services fiscal drain? An amount, in this chronic era of local Government cut-backs, that could have been spent wisely and, most emphatically, more effectively. A head must role for this incompetence!

I also asked KCC to explain the reasoning and evidence for these changes to be prioritised above other road reparations including many dangerous potholes that continue to be ignored. Their response: “The works were funded from a separate budget to that used for maintenance such as potholes, and therefore one is not prioritised against the other.” KCC’s breath-taking disregard as to how tax payer’s money is spent simply by citing budgetary differences is an ignorant cop out. ‘It’s not my fault Guv, don’t blame me!’ This huge folly must be analysed to ensure hard working tax payers not being ripped off by such ineptitude again and again.” Howard Cox

Howard Cox. Founder of the FairFuelUK Campaign.

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