‘This is what the public judges us by’: The £4m scheme to tackle potholes

Reporter: Charlotte Hall, Local Democracy Reporter
Date published: 17 June 2024


A £4m plan could rid Oldham of potholes, councillors have claimed.

They accepted a £4.5m scheme to tackle potholes, improve road safety and secure public footways at a cabinet meeting last night (Monday). 

The funding was secured by the council  alongside an ongoing plan to ‘future-proof’ the borough’s roads.

Chris Goodwin, portfolio holder for Don’t Trash Oldham, told the cabinet: “Our residents deserve to have their highways and footpaths maintained. 

“In the last financial year we spent more than any other year repairing potholes.

"With this funding I think this investment is going to continue.” 

Council leader Arooj Shah added: “It is really important because these are the kinds of things the public judges [the council’s effectiveness] by.” 

Part of the government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, the council has a year to spend the money.

And they’ve already set their sights on the Oldham roads in most need of TLC. 

They include Delph Lane in Saddleworth, Rochdale Road in Royton and Kew Road in Failsworth East. 

The funding will also be used for projects such as creating safety measures around schools, better disabled access and traffic calming schemes in Greenfield, Saddleworth North and Shaw. 

This is the full list of roads due to be tackled by the council and how much they’ll cost: 

Delph Road / Denshaw Road Lodge Lane to Denshaw Cross Roads (A6052), Saddleworth North – £404,100  
Rochdale Road / Kesington Avenue to Boundary (A671), Royton North – £157,625 
Wash Brook / Block Lane Stanley Road to Suffolk Street, Chadderton South – £68,125 
Props Hall Drive, Failsworth West – £93,575 
Wildmoor Avenue, Alexandra – £148,500 
Oak Avenue / Ash Grove / Pine Grove, Royton North – £67,600 
Delph Lane, Saddleworth North – £192,500 
Burnley Lane Elk Mill Roundabout to Mill Brow, Chadderton North – £416,665 
Drury Lane Under Lane to Turf Lane, Chadderton South – £164,280 
Ninth Avenue, Hollinwood – £201,250 
Miller Road, Medlock Vale – £72,300 
Vincent Avenue, Waterhead – £33,550 
Kew Road, Failsworth East – £85,805 
Dingle Avenue / Shore Avenue, Shaw – £157,125


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