Letter: Ash Bridge – We Need Accountability and Competence

Published on: 25 Nov, 2024
Updated on: 24 Nov, 2024

Ash Road Bridge CGI

From John Ferns

In response to: Ash Level Crossing Will Close Before Opening of New Road Bridge

Guildford Borough Council and its £148,800-a-year project manager (a figure openly available in the monthly published payments register) have, unfortunately, fallen short yet again. The Ash road bridge delay is a sobering reminder of what happens when poor planning meets a lack of transparency and accountability.

It is difficult to understand how, six years into the planning process and after months of construction disruption, “final administrative details” can be cited as the reason for this delay.

Surely, the very role of a project manager on this salary is to ensure such details are addressed long before they become an obstacle? The decision to close the level crossing before the bridge is ready, with hazardous diversions and no clear public transport alternatives, leaves residents feeling let down and underserved.

Perhaps most disappointing is the apparent failure to liaise effectively with locally elected councillors. Their role is to represent and inform their communities, but even they seem to have been kept in the dark.

This lack of communication is deeply regrettable and undermines trust in the council’s ability to deliver for its residents, not for what has happened for this major project, but also for the significantly higher risks associated with the upcoming Weyside project.

One can only ask: is this truly the best we can expect for £148,800 a year? Residents deserve not just answers but a commitment to learn from these mistakes.

Accountability must come first, but competence cannot be far behind.