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24
Mar
Low sum awarded to fix Ripon’s roads 'makes a mockery' of system
Ripon councillor Barbara Brodigan has said the low amount of funding allocated to fix the city's roads in 2026/27 “makes a mockery” of the system.
Just 0.15% of North Yorkshire Council’s highways capital programme in 2026/27 was awarded to schemes in Ripon when the list came out this month.
This amounted to £96,500 out of a total of £62.7 million.
What’s more, of the £96,500, about two-thirds — £65,000 — was earmarked for resurfacing the footway on Red Hills Road rather than fixing the road.
Another £21,000 will be spent improving Alma Gardens and a further £5,200 was earmarked for schemes on Ailcey Road and Saxon Road.
Councillor Brodigan, a Liberal Democrat who represents Ripon Ure Bank and Spa on the council, said the settlement “will only scratch the surface of what is needed”.
She added:
It makes a mockery of the weekly surgeries held for councillors to report maintenance needs.
I’ve been requesting repairs on Blossomgate, Kirkby Road, Park Street, for example, for most of 2025 so it is extremely disappointing that so little money has been allocated.
Residents rightly question when repairs will be done and where their council tax is going. I will continue to put pressure on North Yorkshire Council to at least make essential repairs but frequently this is seen as a waste of money and residents complain the work carried out is not up to standard.
Potholes on Kirkby Road in Ripon
Dallamires Lane gets £300,000
Meanwhile, one road which has been given a significant sum of money for repairs is Dallamires Lane in the city.
The announcement that the road had secured funding came just days after Conservative leader of the council, Carl Les, paid a visit to Ripon.
The council published its 2026/27 highways capital programme on March 12.
Three days later, Cllr Les met Ripon city councillors Andrew Williams and Jackie Crozier on Dallamires Lane to inspect the state of the road.
Then on March 18, Cllrs Williams and Crozier posted on social media that funding had been found to resurface Dallamires Lane.
Besides being a city councillor, Cllr Williams is also a North Yorkshire councillor for Ripon Minster and Moorside, which includes Dallamires Lane.
He was elected as an Independent but subsequently joined the Conservative and Independents group led by Cllr Les that was created to shore-up Tory control of County Hall.
On March 17, Cllr Williams likened David Skaith, the Labour mayor for York and North Yorkshire, to highwayman Dick Turpin for cutting £7 million from highways projects in North Yorkshire.
Cllr Les described Mr Skaith’s actions as “somewhat worrying” and warned highways schemes may have to be cut as a result.
Yet extra funding had just been found for Dallamires Lane.
Asked by the Stray Ferret why Dallamires Lane had been added to the highways list, Carl Les said:
“I don’t know what funding has been allocated or when. That’s some decision making I don’t get involved in.”
We also asked Cllrs Williams and Crozier how much had been allocated and what work would be carried out. Neither responded.
We subsequently asked North Yorkshire Council’s media office why Dallamires Lane had been added to the highways programme and whether other Ripon roads had been added, plus details of the cost and timings.
It said the road was first considered for upgrading in September 2024, adding:
The road needed maintenance, but higher priority sites were scheduled for 2026/27. If extra funding emerged, it could be added, so design work continued to keep the scheme delivery ready. No other schemes in Ripon have been added to the programme.
The scheme will cost £300,000. Savings from the forecast cost of other schemes have enabled us to progress it.
Engineers are currently reviewing the designs and how it will be delivered with contractors.
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