The Liberal Democrats warn that Stockport could be sleepwalking into further traffic chaos as the Labour Cabinet are unable to provide reassurances about the imminent closure of the A6 in the town centre, even at the second time of asking.
Lib Dem Group Leader Councillor Mark Hunter first raised this issue at a Town Hall Meeting on 21st June, when he sought assurance from the Labour Cabinet member that roadworks, scheduled for 12 weeks from late July and which will see the A6 closed where it crosses the River Mersey, were to be handled as efficiently as possible.
Cllr Hunter said “We need the road closure to be as short as possible to minimise inconvenience and I wanted assurance that the contractors were being directed to work overnight, or at least late into the evening, and that work would be continuing across the weekends. Nothing infuriates residents more than seeing road closures with no roadworks actually happening.
“An officer present at the meeting told me that the contractor had been asked to work late, but no one was able to tell me for certain what has been agreed.”
Having failed to receive these assurances, Cllr Hunter again raised this issue at the Full Council meeting on 29th June and, once again, the Cabinet member for Economy and Regeneration was unable to give any detail about what has been arranged.
Cllr Hunter said: “It is frankly shocking that, over a week since my first enquiry and just a few weeks before the complete closure of this major arterial route, the Cabinet member still doesn’t seem to know what is going on and could only promise to write to me with the details.
“The closure of the A6, alongside other ongoing roadworks, has the potential to have a huge impact on thousands of residents and many businesses. Labour clearly aren’t taking this seriously and are simply sleepwalking towards traffic chaos.”
