Tenterden Councillors Fight for Road Repairs After Pothole Blitz Miss

People in Tenterden are upset about bad roads. Their roads have many potholes needing repair. Residents sent a letter to Kent County Council (KCC), pointing out roads that need fixing quickly. Tenterden’s roads were missed in a prior repair effort. Now, residents hope they won’t be overlooked again.

The government gave money to fix roads. Kent received a large portion of the funds as part of a bigger plan to improve things. Kent got about 18% of the regional funds, which is around £54.2 million for road repairs. Almost £14.3 million of that is extra money, on top of their 2023 funding.

Local councillors wrote to KCC. David Ward, Sue Ferguson, and Kayleigh Brunger-Randell signed the letter, listing urgent problem areas in Tenterden. They appreciated past road work from KCC. Still, many potholes exist in their town, and the councillors are actively working on this problem.

KCC fixed over 5,500 potholes before during their last “pothole blitz”. Tenterden was initially not included in that plan. Councillors had to push to get their town included. They succeeded in getting Beacon Oak Road resurfaced. Now, they want all problem areas addressed.

Councillor Ward thinks now is the time because they have new road repair money available. He wants to address the roads that are in bad shape. Ward feels Tenterden gets forgotten too often. He thinks road maintenance should be automatic and that people shouldn’t have to demand it.

Some spots are very dangerous, according to Ward. Crosswalks are poorly maintained, he added, and potholes exist near key braking areas, too. He thinks this is unsafe for everyone because potholes hurt vehicles and endanger pedestrians. They also affect those who ride bicycles.

KCC said they welcome the new funding. They want to provide lasting fixes for Kent’s roads. The extra money is very important, as it can help with their maintenance backlog. This backlog includes roads, drainage, and signage, costing over £1 billion to fix it all.

The funding will help them plan repairs. They will address potholes and other road problems. This includes resurfacing roads and doing permanent repairs to prevent potholes. Crews are planning summer road work. They will share details later when finished.