WARRINGTON South MP Faisal Rashid is set to host urgent swing bridge talks with Peel Ports and Warrington Borough Council in January.
Faisal recently wrote to the Chief Executive of Peel Ports, Mark Whitworth, raising concerns about the maintenance of the swing bridges in in the south of the town describing them as important gateways.
In his letter Faisal said that the bridges were in a poor state of repair, in desperate need of painting and he called for assurances that the work would commence soon.
Peel Ports have now respondedsaying that when they initially met with Warrington Borough Council’s Chief Executive, Professor Steven Broomhead, it was agreed that the first priority was to work to resolve congestion at Warburton Toll Bridge.
Once that work had been completed, painting work would then begin on one of the three swing bridges.
The response said: “this agreement was made in all good faith that we could get the Toll bridge situation resolved within 12 to 18 months and as such work would probably commence in 2019 on the first bridge. Unfortunately, what none of us realised at the time was the protracted (and quite painstaking) process we would have to go through to change things at the Toll, and sadly we are still at least another year away from a final resolution.”
However, Peel Ports have now acknowledged that they will have to revisit the original agreement as “doing nothing on the swing bridges for at least another year is probably not acceptable to any of us.”
Following receipt of the response Faisal is now arranging an urgent meeting in January with senior officials from Peel Ports and Warrington Borough Council to discuss when and how work on all three swing bridges will take place.
Faisal said: “I am pleased to hear that Peel Ports intend to honour their agreement to paint the swing bridges. I agree that doing nothing for at least another year is not acceptable.
“Like my constituents, I want to see work start as soon as possible. That is why I am arranging an urgent meeting with Peel Ports and Warrington Borough Council in January.
“At our meeting I will be calling on both parties to agree to a formal plan of action. My hope is that following this meeting work on the bridges can then begin without any further delay.”
2 Comments
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but it is polite to acknowledge who did the groundwork.
We are pleased that our MP is backing Liberal Democrat campaigns, and has done so since he was elected. But making it look as though, painting the swing bridges, retaining the Stockton Heath recycling facility, fighting for Appleton green-belt or “saving” Lymm Post Office are all his initiatives isn’t a good look.
Or, is there talk of a General Election in the air….?
Bob Barr
What a pathetic outfit Peel Ports are. Considering the amount of money they make from their operations in the North West painting a couple of bridges is a drop in the ocean.