Roads a key issue in Leicestershire election debate

Potholes and parking problems were among the topics discussed by candidates standing for election to Leicestershire County Council during a debate.

The Conservatives, Green Party, Labour and Reform UK have candidates standing in each of the 55 seats on the council on 1 May, with the Liberal Democrats in all but one seat.

In a debate hosted by BBC Radio Leicester, local representatives of the parties were questioned over issues including local government reorganisation and the state of the council's finances, while also answering questions submitted through the BBC's Your Voice, Your Vote page.

But one subject stood out the most - roads.

Kate, a community carer based in Loughborough, drives a lot for her job and asked about the state of roads in her area.

"We're told over and over again that it'll be sorted and it never is. Or it is, but poorly done," she told the candidates.

Rebekka Yates, for the Green Party, said people may know her party is in favour of alternatives to car use but "that doesn't mean that we're not car drivers and don't care about car drivers".

"We recognise that fixing potholes is important to people," she said.

Dan Harrison, who left the Conservatives in February to join Reform UK, talked about the wider issues of demand placed on our roads as vehicles get heavier.

He told the debate he wanted "to look in more detail at repairs" as he claimed many were not completed properly.

Conservative candidate Deborah Taylor, current acting leader of the council, claimed cash allocated to the county following the cancellation of HS2, which could have been used to repair roads, had been "stripped away" by the Labour-run government.

Labour group leader at County Hall, Max Hunt, blamed "years of austerity" that meant road repairs had fallen behind and said there was not the money to do the work now.

Michael Mullaney, who leads the main opposition for the Liberal Democrats, said he has first-hand experience of reporting potholes and claimed the council initially refused to repair potholes he and other residents reported at the Ashby Road/Normandy Way junction in Hinckley.

"It looks like they are now going to be fixed but it took a long time," he said, as he called on the authority to be "more receptive to people's concerns" about potholes.

Jo Short, who lives near the city/county border in Beaumont Leys, said it can be dangerous pulling out of any driveway because of parked cars on surrounding pavements.

She said: "Nobody has the guts to come along and stick a parking ticket on these cars."

Labour's Max Hunt said a highway obstruction was a police matter "but we can't expect the police to be on every street corner".

"It's question of how the community can respond to this," he said.

Dan Harrison, for Reform UK, talked about how serious a problem this was for pedestrians too, including the disabled, and suggested drivers should be more considerate.

The Green Party's Rebekka Yates suggested: "What we'd rather do is talk to people in the area to try and prevent it happening in the first place."

But the Conservative's Deborah Taylor said the authority's powers were restricted, saying it was currently only illegal to park on the pavement in Leicestershire if there were double yellow lines or specific restrictions in place.

But she added it was "a real issue and it is brought up on the doorstep."

There's no escaping the financial challenge Leicestershire County Council faces in tackling all of the issues raised by voters.

It currently claims growing pressure on services could create a £96m budget gap by 2029.

Mustafa, from Loughborough, asked the candidates where exactly they would would make cuts to keep the council's finances in order.

The Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats agreed it was clear that savings would have to continue to be made on any non-statutory services - as children and adult social care had to be provided.

Reform UK wants an independent efficiency review of the whole of the county council, claiming £300m is spent on staff alone, a figure not recognised by the Conservatives.

The Green Party said it feared council reorganisation and financial demands of a new unitary council could lead to some services currently provided by districts and boroughs being "squeezed out".

The magic money tree has not appeared.

The BBC has counted 293 candidates across the 55 seats in this election.

Apart from the major parties, you'll find 16 independents, a couple of candidates for the Alliance for Democracy and Freedom Party, a Communist Party of Britain candidate and one for the Animal Welfare Party. So, there is choice!

While the long-term future of the council is subject to local government reorganisation, candidates argue its current role continues for now - and it's unclear whether any new council structure will be in place before the next elections are due.

So a consistent message is, get out and vote on 1 May.

Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.