TELECOMMS provider CityFibre has been summoned to face questioning by Reading Borough Council over its performance.
Numerous complaints have been lodged about the company’s roadworks causing considerable delays and an alleged failure to properly communicate with residents.
After weeks of disruption were caused by works on the Oxford Road in October last year, RBC’s deputy leader, Cllr Tony Page, said at a council meeting that residents had made their dissatisfaction with the delays known.
He also warned that a removal of the contractor could be necessary.
Cllr Page said: “The latest round of chaos brought about by the Instalcom works leaves the Council with no option but to summon Greg Mesch, the chief executive of CityFibre, to attend the next meeting of its SEPT Committee and answer questions about their performance.”
Cllr Page, lead councillor on the strategic environment, planning, and transport committee, met with Instalcom in March seeking assurances that works in Caversham would cause minimum disruption.
However a number of complaints had been made from residents suggesting that further disruptions and delays had been caused.
“It follows a previous warning that it is something we would consider if their day-to-day operation did not improve,” Cllr Page explained.
“Despite promises from City Fibre of additional training sessions for Instalcom’s construction teams at the time, and recent assurances from Instalcom itself ahead of these latest works, improvements have not come to fruition.”
It comes after series of meetings that have taken place between senior highways management of RBC and representatives of CityFibre and Instalcom.
Councillors raised concerns in these meetings about the poor work practices and consequential disruption being caused by the fibre roll-out programme.
In a letter to Greg Mesch, dated Wednesday, April 27, the council said that the company’s performance continues to be “erratic and most unsatisfactory and the subject of many local complaints.”
The SEPT committee is now considering removing the existing permissions given to Instalcom to operate in the borough, and CityFibre has been summoned to a public committee meeting set for Thursday, July 7th.
The council requested that a full presentation of the continuing works planned by the contractors, including time for questioning.
Cllr Page said; “It is worth noting that the Council has no powers to prevent the CityFibre work programme,
“Thanks to Conservative Government legislation, CityFibre is a statutory undertaker with legislative powers to install, maintain and remove their apparatus on, over or under the public highway.”
Despite the necessity of the works, he noted that the levels of disruption were unacceptable.
“The Council fully appreciates the importance of the CityFibre project in bringing modern, fit for purpose digital infrastructure to Reading and the knock-on benefits to residents and businesses, but it cannot allow this level of disruption to people’s lives to continue.
“We welcome further discussions with the CityFibre team about how the project will be taken forward in the future.”
