Volunteers sought to help maintain roads in Gloucestershire

The county’s Highways authority is re-launching a scheme where volunteers act as a link between Gloucestershire Highways and local communities.

The volunteers, referred to as lengthsmen, would give the authority feedback on concerns in their local area, as well as taking responsibility for organising and carrying out some of the highways jobs that parish or town councils have taken on through the Big Community Offer for Highways.

The Big Community Offer, known as Highways – Your Way, gives communities the freedom to carry out, match-fund or buy in additional services that they need.

Gloucestershire Highways has already split the county into eight highways areas and from now on each area will have a local highways manager who is the main point of contact for communities.

Gloucestershire County Council claims the introduction of the local highways manager and the lengthsman scheme will better co-ordinate highways work and allow communities to have more involvement.

Cllr Vernon Smith, the county council’s cabinet project champion for the highways contract, said: "I’m a firm believer that local is best when it comes to providing services.

"Having an identified local highways manager and a designated lengthsman to act as the links between us and communities will make things easier and more co-ordinated when it comes to work being carried out.

"We know this approach is already working well in some parishes where we already have appointed lengthsmen in place, but we’d love to see more people stepping forward to work with us."

For more information about Highways – Your Way and the local approach and for more information on becoming a lengthsman, visit www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/highwaysyourway