A DRIVER who has been campaigning to have Tavistock’s potholes fixed for over 12 months has the backing of his MP.

Sir Geoffrey Cox has been bombarded by David Newcombe with a regular pothole news of where the tarmac traps are and any progress or otherwise, on them being mended.

Tireless David, of Manor Road, Tavistock, has a lengthy rogues gallery of the car-damaging holes on roads throughout the town.

He started a Facebook page called Tavistock Pothole Club which has gathered pace as the potholes have worsened and spread and annoyed motorists also added to his own list. Sir Geoffrey, of Torridge and West Devon, has encouraged him to gather a petition on official Parliamentary forms which the MP will then add to his own constituency-wide list of grievances, The full compilation of the complaints will then be presented by Sir Geoffrey to the Speaker of the House of Commons. The deadline for David’s petition is January 29, 2024.

David is now collecting names. He said: “It’s been very frustrating for me and from hundreds of drivers t see potholes not repaired or not mended for months. So, I’m really pleased Sir Geoffrey Cox has now added his influence to my campaign. Some have been mended and that’s great, but they often collapse again.”

Sir Geoffrey, who has been successful in attacting extra funds for Devon County Council to carry out pothole and other road repairs, thanked David for contacting him about potholes and added: “I am aware that this issue comes up time and agin for those living in our rural parishes and which has been made worse by recent severe winters and rain. We are all familiar with the scourge of pothole, but particulalrly in some of the smaller villages, critical access roads are being allowed to disintegrate, because they are unclassified. Devon County Councl’s current strategy is apparently to concentrate on the

classified A and B roads. This can mean that some routes, important to our villages, are no longer regulalrly maintained.

“It is clear to me Devon County Councilrequires more help to maintain all roads vital to ourcommunities to an acceptable standard. In recent years the Government has provided significant one-off funding additional funding to enable the councilto carry ou 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.”

He continued to David: “To secure that objective, I would be most grateful for your help in supporting my constituency-wide Parliamentary Petition.”

The petition should follow a formal process and obey strict rules to be taken seriously by Parliament and the Government. The petition says the roads are ‘dilapidated’ and urges the the Government to reallocate funds to allowa ‘comprehensive scheme of road improvements which are vital for rural communities in Torridge and West Devon, as well as to prevent further, avoidable disrepair’. Nearly £37m of extra funding during 2020/21 and 2023 has been spent on repairs.