Road surface problems in Oxfordshire have returned to the political agenda in Westminster.
Parliamentarians have drawn attention to the poor condition of the county’s highways, with one stating that motorists are forced to weave constantly while travelling.
Reading’s representative Matt Rodda also commented on Oxfordshire’s severe pothole issues, noting that people in his Berkshire constituency frequently cross the border and are alarmed by what they find.
Sean Woodcock, MP for Banbury, attributed the condition of the roads to 14 years of what he termed predominantly Conservative Government negligence.
Addressing parliament, the Labour politician said that for those living in north Oxfordshire, routine journeys such as commuting or grocery shopping had become a constant exercise in dodging road damage.
He noted that between 2010 and 2024, the county experienced a 15 per cent reduction in actual spending capacity.
He added that the administrative shortcomings at County Hall also needed to be addressed.
According to him, successive administrations had frequently prioritised urban traffic schemes in Oxford while allowing rural main roads to deteriorate in a reactive manner.
Meanwhile, Olly Glover, the Liberal Democrat member for Wantage and Grove, drew attention to several poor-quality roads in his area.
These included the A417 near Mellors Garage, Challow station, Stanford, Shellingford crossroads and numerous streets in Didcot.
He stated that many local people hold the present council accountable, but the truth is that this represents a long-standing problem stemming from the previous Conservative administration which introduced a policy of managed decline in 2014.
Glover identified funding as a major element of the issue, while expressing serious worries about the Labour administration’s reduction of £24.1m spread across three years.
However, Woodcock rejected the defence of the Liberal Democrat-run county council, reporting that he receives reports from residents about the standard of repairs carried out.
He pointed out that the recently completed work on Stratford Road in Banbury had already broken down to reveal cables beneath the surface.
Local transport minister Lilian Greenwood responded that when local authorities carry out maintenance, they should be comprehensive and durable rather than work that quickly fails.
Oxfordshire County Council reported that in the previous week, its teams had addressed 1,885 potholes.
A council spokesperson indicated that improved weather conditions had allowed the authority to continue deploying specialist crews and equipment to tackle the accumulated work.
Reports of the most serious category of defects fell by 44 per cent, with second-tier reports down by 17 per cent.
This enables workers to operate more effectively and reach the most hazardous locations prioritised.
The county council has recently expanded the team responsible for pothole repairs.