Roads cash must go to local firms, says Councillor Butterworth

Milnrow and Newhey Labour councillor Neil Butterworth

The extra £12M Rochdale council is spending to fix the roads should go to local firms, says Milnrow and Newhey Labour councillor Neil Butterworth. 

He is pressing council bosses to “parcel” the work into smaller contracts to give Rochdale companies a much better chance of gaining the work. 

Councillor Butterworth said: “Normally, this work would be let as a single multi-million-pound contract with only the massive civil engineering firms able to take it on.

“I want to see local firms who employ local labour get a slice of the action. You get a much keener price as smaller firms have far fewer overheads. 

“There is an argument a that you also get a better quality of job. 

“I campaigned hard to get this much needed investment to improve the shocking state of our roads and footpaths.  Now it is important that the £12m is spent locally for the benefit of local firms and local workers. It will create scores of new jobs. 

“The only way to achieve this is to have much smaller contracts which locally based firms are able fo bid for. These are established and successful companies who are getting squeezed out by the big guys. 

“I am receiving lots of support from councillors from all parties for this change in policy. 

“Last year the council identified some 2,000 jobs that should only be filled by local residents when they became vacant [these jobs are being advertised locally on Rochdale Online].

"We already have ambitious targets to ensure more of Rochdale taxpayers money is spent in the borough. 

“We have a unique opportunity to boost our local economy which will help create much needed construction jobs for local residents.”

The extra money to tackle the potholes crisis  was agreed at the budget council meeting last week. Together with the existing repairs budget, it will mean almost £20m being spent on resurfacing roads and footpaths over the next two years.