OUR roads and lanes have figured much in my dealings with Devon County Council.

In early June I handed in a petition on behalf of the residents of Bow about the terrible state of the A3072 that forms the High Street running through the village. A response implies that work will soon begin on this problem.

On July 13 I shall defend my motion to the Cabinet. This revolves around the idea of sending a report to members following a fatality or any bad accident on our roads.

I want each member to receive a report which considers the causes of the accident. Was it speed, mechanical failure, a driver error, or the condition of the road.

If the latter, I want a report that the defect has been addressed and that the road can be given an MOT certificate of safety and roadworthiness.

Talking to a local resident I was surprised that his wife had received a large sum in compensation for two burst tyres and damaged wheels because of driving through a deep pothole.

This got me to thinking and so I put in a FOI (Freedom of Information) request asking how much compensation Devon County Council has paid motorists since 2019.

I was amazed to discover that the figure is over £181,000!

This again got me to thinking and so I have called for a report from the relevant cabinet portfolio holder, which covers several areas.

Firstly, how many potholes are there registered on our system? What is the timetable for the repair of defects? How much impact has the increase in the 2022 budget had on the problem?

I pointed out that this increase is 0.4 per cent which in real terms is a considerable decrease when we consider the increase in salaries, fuel and materials.

I have also asked what measures the Cabinet will take to persuade central government to give more money to combat the programme of road repairs. I shall let you all know what the Cabinet member’s report says.

At a recent parish council meeting that I attended as the county councillor for the ward, the problem of the bottle bank in Crediton’s Morrisons was raised. Since Tesco took away its bottle bank, because of vandalism,  Morrisons’ bottle bank has come under some stress.

When full, people just leave bottles all around!

I raised this matter at our recent Mid Devon District Council meeting and was told that the problem has been recognised and a second bottle bank will be put in Crediton’s St Saviour’s car park. Let us hope this solves the problem!

Crediton Rural County Councillor Frank Letch