"Why now, in the middle of a pandemic?" - An Isle of Wight councillor has spoken of his "shock" after residents living on dozens of private roads on the Island were told to make improvements to the highway - or face having their normal waste collections binned.
The Isle of Wight Council says repairs are needed on a number of 'unadopted' Isle of Wight roads to ensure Amey staff "can work safely".
The local authority says it has not stopped or refused to collect waste, but has not ruled out doing so if improvements are not made within the deadline given.
Red Road, Wootton.
Residents of 29 private roads, including two in Wootton, have been sent a letter stating that they have 28 working days to put plans in place to improve the road surface.
Councillor Barry Abraham, whose ward is Wootton Bridge, held an online meeting with those living on one those roads - Red Road - on Saturday (10). He says there is "anger" and "concern" among residents:
"The residents felt quite angry that they suddenly got a letter from the council and Amey. I had prior sight of the letter and felt really concerned myself for older people that suddenly get something like this dropped on their mat, it is a concern. The thoughts by residents were that it was a budgetary issue but it's not, it's an issue of safety for the operatives of the lorries that collect the rubbish - there is a need to fix some of the potholes.
"It did come as a shock and that was a point I raised to the officers at the council. Why now, in the middle of pandemic? Their view was it [the letter] was going to be sent out in March originally and because of the pandemic they held off... in normal circumstances I would have a public meeting."
Under current Government legislation, the onus is on the frontagers of the road to undertake repairs if required.
It means that residents with a private road outside their property are responsible for looking after it, something which Cllr Abraham says "seems unfair."
Gravel Pit Road, Wootton.
Speaking exclusively to Isle of Wight Radio, he said:
"Residents feel aggrieved that because they are private roads anybody can drive over them. The other road in Wootton, Gravel Pit Road, is used as a rat run when other roads are closed.
"It has horrible dips in the road which will need to be addressed and I have spoken to some of the residents to help get some of the work done."
Cllr Abraham says he hopes the improvements - on the routes in Wootton - will cost "hundreds, rather than thousands".
"I just wish [cabinet] members had been made aware of it. Apparently this has been an ongoing thing since 2017 and this was the first I heard of it. Apparently there are about 257 private roads on the Island."
The Isle of Wight Council says if it is unable to put a plan in place with residents to make road improvements, it could - "as a last resort" - use temporary collection points further down the road.
Cllr Abraham said that would work for some, but that others "won't physically be able drag the bins".
A council spokesperson said:
"The council and Amey both have a legal obligation to ensure that our collection crews have a safe working environment, so we do ask people living on private roads to make sure the areas where waste is collected from outside their properties are reasonably level and safe, so our staff can move the bins across, and load into the vehicles.
"We are still working with residents, ward members and local town and parish councillors to resolve these safety issues.
"Anybody affected who wants to talk with us or have a meeting to look at the site has been given contact details so we can arrange a meeting or site visit."
According to the council, Assisted Collections will remain available regardless of whether improvements to roads surfaces are made.
It means those who are signed up to them can still have their rubbish collected from the agreed point on their property.
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