CONSERVATIVES are urging the Oldham council to tackle the “perennial” issue of potholes that plague the borough's roads.

The call follows reports that the council underspent its Highways Department budget last year by close to a quarter of a million, despite the government allocation to repair potholes in 2020 / 2021 being over £15 million in Greater Manchester.

In January, Oldham was revealed as the third worst-affected borough when it came to potholes, with 751 open reported cases according to research by fixmystreet.com.

Dave Arnott, Conservative candidate for Royton North said: “I have come across some very worrying examples in Royton, and I dread to think of the consequences of a young person cycling to school, or a moped user inadvertently ridding into one of these potholes on a dark morning.”

He added: “The residents of Royton pay high council tax rates, and the very least that they should expect is that the public highway is kept safe, and in a state of good repair. The Labour led council has “sleepwalked” around this important issue for far too long, and now is the time for some real and decisive action."

Councillor Howard Sykes, leader of Oldham council's Liberal Democrat opposition group, said in agreement: “Fixing potholes is a high priority for many of our council taxpayers, and they want to see them fixed effectively and quickly.”

For the third year in a row the number of potholes in Greater Manchester has risen, with cases totalling more than 7,000 last year. The city centre is the worst-affected area with 2,356 cases, followed by Bury with 834, and Oldham with 751.

The Conservatives have called for a council member to be appointed to take control of the ongoing issue as well as a longer-term review on the method of repairs to avoid “sticking plaster" solutions.

Councillor Barbara Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Culture, said:"We do already have a strong arsenal of equipment to repair our roads, including our Jet Patcher and mechanical attachments."

She added: "We know how strongly our residents feel about the upkeep of our borough’s roads, which is why we make repairing damaged road surfaces one of our top priorities.”