Readers will recall my recent post, Moving the Goalposts Doesn’t Fix Medway’s Roads, where I called out Cllr Alex Paterson for dodging a straightforward question about the state of our roads. True to my word, I submitted a rigorous follow-up for tonight’s Cabinet meeting:
“At a recent meeting of the Cabinet, a question concerning pothole repairs did not appear to receive the level of detail and accountability that residents of Medway would reasonably expect. While noting the Portfolio Holder’s explanation regarding changes in repair methodology, whereby a single larger, permanent patch may now address multiple clustered defects, it remains the case that such a shift in reporting approach should not result in a lack of transparency over operational data.
In that context, could the Portfolio Holder clarify, irrespective of the internal counting methodology employed, the current estimated volume of outstanding road defects awaiting attention across Medway; specify the total area of carriageway, measured in square metres, that the department is targeting for treatment during the current financial year; and confirm whether he will commit to updating the reporting methodology published on the Council’s website to enable residents to clearly and transparently track the backlog of repairs and overall progress?
Medway’s taxpayers deserve clear targets, hard data, and accessible tracking—not patronising lectures on primary school arithmetic.”
Blocked from Asking the Tough Questions about Medway Road Repairs
The response? The question has been outright rejected.
The justification given is that it is “too close” to my original question, meaning I am conveniently gagged from asking it again for six months. This defies belief, given that Cllr Paterson completely failed to answer the first time around, and the Council’s own website still relies on the outdated reporting metrics.
While I wouldn’t go so far as to accuse Cllr Paterson of hiding behind constitutional technicalities, his continued evasion denies Medway residents the transparency they rightfully expect.
A Public Challenge
So, I am issuing a public challenge to Cllr Paterson: answer the question I’ve laid out above. I will gladly publish your unedited response right here—provided it actually addresses the issue of Medway road repairs and sets out the hard data we are asking for.
But I won’t be holding my breath.
