Council apologises over road repair blunder: 'A bit stupid'
Neighbours have criticised Merri-bek City Council after contractors placed new asphalt around two parked cars.
A Melbourne council has issued an apology after residents complained about the “horrendous” resurfacing performed on their street.
Neighbours living on McBryde Street in the suburb of Fawkner have hit out at Merri-bek City Council after contractors placed new asphalt around two parked cars last week.
The blunder has made the street look “terrible”, annoyed resident Monica Hodgkinson told Nine News. “The street is probably in a worse state than it was to start with,” she said. “It’s disappointing because now the street is a mess.”
“It just looks a bit stupid,” a local named Patt Gibbs also told Nine News. It’s understood a letter was sent out to residents a few days before the work was performed, but Merri-bek City Council has since admitted that they didn’t have enough notice.
“We took the opportunity to complete these works more quickly when resources were available, which resulted in less notice being provided to residents,” a Merri-bek City Council spokesperson told 9News. “We apologise to residents for the inconvenience.”
A team will be sent to McBryde Street to conduct repairs. Yahoo News Australia has contacted Merri-bek City Council for comment.
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Large chunk of Victorians want councils abolished
According to a RedBridge poll commissioned by the Herald Sun and published on Tuesday, 45 per cent of almost 1200 Victorians surveyed late last year think councils should be abolished.
The study also revealed that 57 per cent of state residents want councils to merge so Local Government Areas (LGAs) so they can have access to more resources and spend less money.
The responses “demonstrate that all Victorians are growing increasingly tired of councils,” Ratepayers Victoria vice-president Dean Hurlston told the publication.
“What councils need to win community confidence is to do the basics better and more efficiently. We would agree that amalgamations would be a great thing for Victoria, providing those amalgamations resulted in more efficient councils.”
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