Sunbury MP Josh Bull has used State Parliament to call on Hume City Council to re-join a road maintenance agreement he says is vital to improving the condition of local streets.
Speaking on 19 November, Mr Bull asked the Minister for Roads and Road Safety for an update on timelines for road and signage improvement works in Sunbury, funded by the $300,000 allocated in the most recent Labor state budget.
Mr Bull said residents had repeatedly raised concerns about the state of local roads, roundabouts, median strips and signage.
“I want to thank the many of you who have raised the condition of local roads… I thank you for this advocacy,” he said.
However, he criticised the council for withdrawing from a Minor Maintenance Agreement it previously held with the state government. The agreement outlined shared responsibilities for small-scale road maintenance works across the municipality.
“Disappointingly, a few years ago Hume City Council walked away from the agreement… Without adequate consultation with the relevant stakeholders,” Mr Bull told Parliament.
He said the arrangement had ensured “the best outcome for our local road maintenance” and argued the council “should never have withdrawn from it”.
Mr Bull said he had repeatedly urged the council to resume discussions with the State.
“I am again calling on Hume City Council to immediately engage in constructive discussion, re-enter this agreement and fix a problem that is causing significant concern across our community – anything less is unacceptable,” he said.
He added that details of the new State-funded projects would be released soon. Mr Bull shared his frustration on Facebook.
Asked to respond to Mr Bull’s statement a council spokesperson said: “Our mayor Carly Moore responded to Josh Bull in the comments on that post. I would direct your attention to those, as she is our spokesperson.”