Roads and pavements are the responsibility of Essex County Council and Essex Highways. This means that they fall outside the remit of Castle Point Borough Council. What does fall inside the remit of Castle Point Borough Council is the overall health and safety of our residents. Over 70% of our council tax is paid to ECC. In December 2022 a communication from Essex County Council stated that our roads are in a state of ‘managed decline’ and that potholes are not a priority. We believe that potholes should be a priority as they cause safety hazards throughout the borough. We have made representations to ECC on this matter, but as our Essex County Councillors are all Conservative, we are receiving little support. In the next ECC elections, PIP will be fielding candidates to give us the opportunity to build alliances with the council chamber with increased leverage at a county level.
In 2023 we escalated 1303 potholes in Castle Point to the action owners, Essex County Council.

Frustrated with the continued appalling standard of our highways in Castle Point, PIP Councillor Rob Lillis proposed the following Motion at the Ordinary Council meeting held on 13 March 2024:

 

‘Castle Point Borough Council wish to express our deep dissatisfaction with Essex County Council’s Highways Department and do hereby formally request ECC Cabinet Member - Cllr Tom Cunningham and a representative from the Highways contractor to attend a meeting in this chamber, in order that Members can hold them both to account for failing in their legal duty under the Highways Act to maintain our highways (roads, pavements and street lights) adequately.’

 

The Motion was agreed, though it is worth noting it was not supported by the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Castle Point Conservative Party.