ROAD schemes are being put on hold because of council reorganisation, according to one councillor. Cllr Judi Billing, chair of the Hitchin committee, said since North Hertfordshire District Council s chief engineer left at the end of August the re-allocat

ROAD schemes are being put on hold because of council reorganisation, according to one councillor.

Cllr Judi Billing, chair of the Hitchin committee, said since North Hertfordshire District Council's chief engineer left at the end of August the re-allocation of his duties to other departments has been poor and this has led to some road repair schemes being put at risk.

Cllr Billing cites Westmill Road, John Barker Place and Old Hale Way as three important residential areas whose road repairs are under threat.

She said: "We have known for months that the chief engineer was retiring and yet nothing has been done to organise this work and we are told that road repairs, parking schemes and other improvements have to stay on hold until this is sorted out."

At a recent Hitchin committee meeting a number of councillors spoke of their extreme disappointment at the lack of information available to them.

The committee was most concerned with the delays by the council in providing cost estimates for schemes put forward at a meeting in August.

The councillors are demanding the gathering of these estimates be presented at the next committee meeting on October 31 at the latest.

A council spokesman said: "This council was not and is not responsible for highway repairs and consequently the former chief engineer had limited influence over the repairs to the highway; repairing the highway is with our colleagues in Hertfordshire Highways.

"The chief engineer did however collect complaints from various quarters related to the highway, both formal and informal and passed them directly to Hertfordshire Highways or to the Partnership Panel.

"We are not aware of highway repairs being put on hold.