A letter from Rt.Hon. Geoffrey Cox Q.C., MP for Torridge & West Devon
Roads Petition
One of the issues that comes up time and again for those us living in our rural parishes is the crumbling condition of many of the minor roads, which has been made worse by recent severe winters and rain.
We are all familiar with the scrouge of potholes but, particularly in some of the smaller villages, critical access to roads are being allowed to disintegrate because they are unclassified. The County Council’s current strategy is apparently to concentrate limited resources on the classified A and B roads. This can mean that some routes, important to our villages, are no longer regularly maintained. It is clear to me Devon County Council requires more help to maintain all roads vital to our communities to an acceptable standard. In recent years, the Government has provided significant one-off additional funds to enable the Council to carry out improved levels of road maintenance and I am pressing hard again, this year and next, for it to increase the resources allocated to this priority.
To secure that objective, I would be most grateful for the Council’s help in supporting my constituency-wide Parliamentary Petition. A Parliamentary Petition is a formal process, which must obey certain rules an is formally presented by me to the House of Common and the Speaker on the floor of the Chamber of the House. It is recorded in Hansard and the Government is obliged to formally to respond to the petition.
The rules governing such petitions are strict and all signatures must be original (not photocopied) and accompanied by a postal address or they will be discounted. Every page must also bear the text of the petition. It would be very helpful if you could circulate the petition as widely as possible in the parish and return the signatures to me at the House of Commons by Friday 29 January 2024, in order that the signatures can be counted before being presented to Parliament before the budget in March.
Please find below a link to the document that can be printed and signed. Please share this with your community. If you would like a hard copy please contact the Parish Clerk on broadwoodwidgercouncil@outlook.com or 07305189929. Completed forms can be collected by the Parish Clerk to return to the House of Commons or sent directly using the address House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
