SOMERSET FALLING DOWN THE CRACKS

Somerset's pavements are the worst in the west - that's official.

Conservatives have reacted with shock after seeing the latest performance figures showing that Lib Dem Somerset's pavements are the worst in the south-west.

A recent report from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) collated the Audit Commission data, which showed that the condition of Somerset's pavements is almost twice as bad as the national average, and bottom of the list for south-west councils.

Ken Maddock, Somerset County Council’s Conservative Group Leader, commented on the report by the CSP and the performance data. He said, "Every day, thousands of Somerset residents are having to take their lives into their own hands just by walking down the street. I am appalled to see that almost half of all footways in the county are in need of repair. This needs action before any more residents injure themselves.''

He added, "We must get into this right away. If we leave it, it will only end up costing more in the long-run. There will be more injuries, more claims against the Council, and more misery for local people. We deserve better.''

END

For more information: contact

Councillor Ken Maddock, County Councillor for Mendip South and Leader of Somerset County Council's Conservative Group, 01823 356784 / 01458 850906 kmaddock@somerset.gov.uk

NOTES TO EDITOR:

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy issued their press release "A year on, Yorkshire and Humberside still has England's most hazardous pavements" in February, which can be found here: http://www.csp.org.uk/director/press/pressreleases.cfm?item_id=7F5FFDAFA93F383D92F9988F5D4D2EDD

The Audit Commission uses BVPI (Best Value Performance Indicator) 187 to measure the condition of surface footway, and found that 42% of Somerset’s footways required structural maintenance in 2007-08, compared with the national and regional average of 22%.

Ref: 12Mar09b