FUNDING for the reconstruction of a York road which was “wrecked” by an an experimental resurfacing technique has been cut by £50,000, prompting outrage from a local councillor.

Independent Osbaldwick councillor Mark Warters said City of York Council had reduced already-inadequate funding for repairs to Tranby Avenue in 2012/13 from a provisional figure of £150,000 to £100,000.

He said the authority had ruined the road in November 2006 through cracking the underlying concrete bays and then recoating it with tarmac, and he was not willing to let the funding of repairs “drift” any longer.

He said in a letter to council leader James Alexander: “This is not a road that has deteriorated due to normal wear and tear or winter damage. It is a highway wrecked by City of York Council and the authority has a moral and professional duty to put right this situation.”

He said he was requesting sufficient funds, approximately £500,000, to be made available to fund repair work as soon as possible, and asked Coun Alexander not to use the council’s current financial situation as a reason for being unable to fund the works.

“The sale of open land west of Metcalfe Lane (for the Derwenthorpe development) generated a £5.65 million capital receipt taken from this ward,” he said.

He said that in the absence of any explanation as to why a fair and reasonable proportion could not be spent on the repairs, he could only conclude it had disappeared into the black hole of the council’s finances.

At a cabinet meeting on December 6, he had requested an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Tranby Avenue fiasco but to date, he had yet to be informed of any progress on the investigation.

Coun Dafydd Williams, Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhood Services, said the work was only one phase – or 20 per cent – of the entire reconstruction project.

While the total combined cost would come to more than £500,000, the money allocated for this phase had been reduced from £150,000 to £100,000 because the bill was now thought to be £50,000 lower than originally anticipated.

He did not believe funds from the land sale could be directed towards the road repair scheme.