One of the key issues raised by many residents I meet in Skelton In Cleveland is the state of the roads on Skelton Industrial Estate. I've seen it for myself on numerous occasions and have had regular updates from Councillor Cliff Foggo who has been working really hard to sort it out. This photo was taken in August and some of the potholes are the deepest I've ever seen!
Last year, Cliff secured patching for the worst potholes and in March this year, when the Council announced an allocation of Capital Funds to increase the number of units on the estate, he contacted the newly appointed Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, Bob Norton, who agreed that the Estate could not grow with the roads in their present condition.
With the support of Councillor Norton, Cliff's persistence now looks like it will pay dividends as next week the Council Cabinet will be asked to approve the allocation of £1.2M to Skelton Industrial Estate which involves infrastructure works to upgrade the roads to an adoptable standard, with signage and lighting.
This is a fantastic result for both existing and future business on the estate as well as the many residents who use the roads as access to the retail park.
Once the cabinet agrees the funding allocation it will fall to the Council's legal department to overcome a number of issues relating to the ownership of the roads (it is a private estate) before work can start, therefore, Councillor Foggo has arranged for more temporary work to be undertaken to ensure the roads are safe for use in the short term.