The Labour group has once again criticised the council for its handling of the Mead Way roadworks after questions were raised about when it would finish. 

The road quickly became a sore point among residents in the area after experience a series of delays but it was finally reopened to through-traffic in November last year. 

But the overall project still hasn’t finished with the council’s cabinet member for infrastructure and planning, Gary Sumner, recently confirming further work was needed to install a crash barrier and new bus stops but have been further delayed by utility companies. 

Chair of the scrutiny committee and Labour’s Mannington and Western ward councillor Jim Robbins believes people ‘have a right to be upset’ that the project is still ongoing after almost two years, even now they are able to use the road. 

He said: “While the road was finally opened, after the Council missed the previous deadlines they set themselves, the end of the works still seem some way off. We’re nearly ready to celebrate the project’s second birthday, despite it starting off having a 12-week completion time for the first part of the project.

“Mannington Rec car park continues to be used as a depot for the site, still inconveniencing users of the park and we’ve still not had credible explanations for the delays. 

“The incompetence of the project can be summed up by the fact that the Council appear to have renamed the road ‘Meadway’ on all of the new signage.”

The road widening scheme for the West Swindon route was originally slated to cost £4.8million. 

The most recent confirmed overspend figure was an estimated £700,000 which was in the council’s capital budget monitoring report, and presented to members of the Conservative cabinet in July. 

Coun Robbins is now keen to get a more up-to-date figure to highlight the true cost of the multiple delays  to the taxpayer 

“I’m waiting to see what the total delay to the project will be, and how much the delays have cost the Swindon taxpayers. The last we heard it was almost a million pounds, and that was with months still to go on the project. 

“Swindon deserves better than this.”

Deputy council leader Gary Sumner is the cabinet member for strategic infrastructure, transport and planning.

He said: “I don’t think anyone is pleased that the Mead Way scheme has taken as long as it has, but we have faced incredible challenges as a result of the pandemic, much of which was out of the council’s control as Coun Robbins is all too aware.

“Although appreciating an over-running project like this has given him perfect ammunition for political swiping, he really needs to check his facts before spreading misinformation.

“The Mead Way scheme was originally programmed in for 20 weeks, not 12, and around half a dozen completion deadlines were missed due to a combination of factors including utility companies not being able to attend site throughout the pandemic and ecology issues.

“The good news is that the road has been back open to traffic for several weeks and the site compound has been reduced in size. 

“The sign issue is currently being dealt with and the final overspend will be calculated once the scheme is completed.”