Offensive on road repairs - ARC plans two-pronged attack on Labour to increase maintenance spending

ARC Southern is to lobby the new Government to spend more on road maintenance. And it is planning to reconfigure its plant at the 8 million tonne Whateley quarry to produce cleanstone and chippings.

An ARC spokesman said: "We need to look hard at what we need to do. There is no point in producing sub-base at Whateley for new roads when the roads budget is declining. And we can't see the Labour Government increasing public expenditure on new roads."

ARC is planning a two-pronged attack. Firstly it plans to meet the local constituency MPs in areas where its quarries are and to educate them about the industry. "Our overriding message will be to show them what are doing and why. We have a huge learning curve to surmount," said Weeks.

Another priority Weeks believes is to ensure that public sector capital expenditure is maintained. "We have to try and ensure these funds are ring-fenced and the money is not spent on something else."

ARC also plans to lobby the new Government through the Quarry Products Association. "We are reviewing and looking at the public expenditure framework before the next Public Affairs meeting takes place in June. We have to examine who is where and begin the educational process," said Weeks.

"We are not going to stand still and wait for the grass to grow. We want to be showing initiative and willingness to adapt while keeping a pulse on the finger of the market," he added.