Challenging councils and developers on the problem of unadopted estates

Matthew Barber, Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley hosted a roundtable discussion in Didcot on Wednesday 13th May, to challenge local councils and housing developers to tackle the growing problems caused by unadopted roads and housing estates.

In normal circumstances, when new housing developments are built the local council become responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of things like roads, play areas and street lighting. In a growing number of cases, however, long legal battles between councils and developers cause extensive delays to the adoption of estates leaving residents without the services they would expect.

This can impact police enforcements particularly around issues of parking and road safety.

The roundtable meeting aims to bring together developers, local councils, and police officers to seek practical solutions to ensure that residents get the services they are paying for.

Ahead of the meeting, Matthew Barber commented: “It is not acceptable that years after people move into their new homes, local councils are not providing the services that people are paying for through their council tax. Today is about seeking action for residents to unblock the delays which impact on parking, road safety, and concerns about local amenities.”