Staffordshire County Council has announced a temporary freeze on new non-essential roadworks in areas already heavily affected by disruption, in a move welcomed by local councillors and MPs.
The three-month pause applies to new council-led work on main roads in places already under strain from utility or maintenance projects. The freeze, announced by the new Cabinet Member for Strategic Highways, Cllr Peter Mason, will not affect emergency repairs such as gas or water leaks, which are legally allowed to go ahead without notice.
In an open letter to residents, Cllr Mason said: “We’ll refrain from adding new works to main roads in heavily disrupted areas unless it can be shown that it will not further impact these routes.”
The announcement follows growing frustration over travel disruption caused by overlapping roadworks across Staffordshire towns.
Works will still go ahead where essential
Cllr Mason, who took up his post in mid-May, acknowledged a “high number of repairs currently active and planned” and said changes were needed after a rush by the previous administration to spend government funding.
He confirmed that urgent repairs to Corporation Street in Stafford will still be completed this August, during the school holidays. But other non-urgent works in busy areas may be delayed until after the freeze.
Concerns raised in the council chamber
At the latest full county council meeting, Cllr Ann Edgeller, who represents Stafford South East, called for more scrutiny of utility companies making use of emergency powers to install temporary traffic lights.
“What can be done about utilities coming in and putting traffic lights throughout Stafford – and probably throughout the county – and using their emergency powers to say it’s got to be done?” she asked. “I understand sometimes there are emergencies, but this is causing absolute mayhem.”
Cllr Mason responded by highlighting the limits of local control. Under national rules, emergency roadworks can be carried out immediately. For planned works, notice periods range from three days for minor works to 12 weeks for major projects. However, the council is looking to push back.
Council to push for tighter rules
“We believe we have a case to amend or reject requests to carry out work when the network is unable to accommodate it,” said Cllr Mason. He confirmed that future access requests for planned works will be subject to a 12-week lead time, while emergency work will only be granted a 48-hour window. The council will also use fines to encourage compliance.
Cllr Mason added that the explosion in broadband installations has added to the problem, with more companies accessing roads on short notice.
He concluded by calling for legislative reform: “The ultimate solution requires a revision of current legislation to rebalance the powers more in favour of councils. This is for central government to action, and I will be lobbying and seeking the support of all Staffordshire MPs.”
‘Over the moon’
Stafford MP Leigh Ingham welcomed the decision, having recently likened the state of Stafford’s roads to “an escape room” during a debate in Parliament.
On Friday, she said: “I welcome a review of how they plan roadworks. It’s about time they got a grip of it.”
The pause aims to ease traffic issues and allow time to reset how repairs and upgrades are managed across the county.
