A Green councillor is calling on the county council for urgent action to repair pavements in the Lancaster city centre conservation area which he says have been neglected.

A new survey by County Councillor Paul Stubbins highlights what he says is ‘widespread neglect’ in the maintenance of pavements across Lancaster city centre’s conservation area.

He said broken paving has been inadequately replaced with tarmac—intended only as a temporary measure—without proper reinstatement.

The detailed survey documents well over 100 locations with substandard repairs just in the central area, all falling under Lancashire County Council’s responsibility as the highways authority.

Queens Square in Lancaster - tarmac in four places. Photo: Anna Reyes.

placeholder image — Queens Square in Lancaster - tarmac in four places. Photo: Anna Reyes.

Councillor Stubbins has uploaded reports for each site and will also be providing the full 53-page survey, complete with photographs for each location, to the County Council for urgent action.

Councillor Stubbins, County Councillor for Lancaster East which includes the city centre, said: “I am frankly appalled that this level of neglect has been allowed to continue and worsen. I have now logged 137 separate reports into the County Council’s Love Clean Streets system, covering hundreds of paving stones that need reinstatement.

“Every day these problems grow because maintenance is simply not being kept on top of.

"The new Reform administration says it cares about pride in our community, but that claim is not matched by any practical action on our streets.

The corner of King Street and Meeting House Lane in Lancaster, south side. Photo: Anna Reyes.

"Lancaster deserves better—proper reinstatement is not optional, it is essential for safety, accessibility, and the character of our historic city centre.”

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "Once a repair has been identified, our priority is to ensure that the highway is made safe as soon as this is possible, to protect the public from risk.

"In town centres and conservation areas, which may feature materials including traditional cobbles and paving slabs, we try to repair the area initially with like for like materials but often this is not achievable within the timescales due to the availability of suitable materials or repair teams.

"When this is the case, we often have to carry out a temporary repair to make the area safe and ensure public safety. In these cases, we will return to undertake a further repair when the resources/funding allows."