§ Major HILLSasked the Minister of Transport whether in the event of the unclassified roads being taken over by the county council under the Local Government Bill, a rural district council will, in future, have any power to compel a county council to spend money on such roads for the purpose of rounding off corners or doing other such necessary work?
§ Colonel ASHLEYUnder the provisions of the Local Government Bill the responsibility for the maintenance and improvement of roads in rural districts will rest with the county council, and in cases where the functions are delegated to the district council the works to be executed and the expenditure to be incurred will be subject to the approval of the county council. A rural district council will not therefore be in a position to compel a county council to carry out any particular works, but no doubt the representations of the district council will be fully considered. The county council are in a position to prepare a programme for the county as a whole in which regard can be had to the relative urgency of the works, and they are generally in a more favourable position than rural district councils to meet the cost of such works.