A Banbury councillor has called for Oxfordshire County Council to “finish the job” after he says the majority of Southam Road was missed from the recent resurfacing works.

On Thursday, September 10, the council completed an 18-day resurfacing project on the A361 through the centre of Banbury.

The resurfacing and maintenance works stretched from the Hennef Way roundabout to Banbury Cross roundabout.

However, Cllr Andrew Crichton, who represents Banbury Hardwick, has called on the council to resurface the rest of the A361/Southam Road north of the Hennef Way roundabout.

Cllr Andrew Crichton has called for the council to resurface the rest of the A361/Southam Road after a large section was left out of its recent road maintenance project.

placeholder image — Cllr Andrew Crichton has called for the council to resurface the rest of the A361/Southam Road after a large section was left out of its recent road maintenance project.

Cllr Crichton also said residents had contacted him to complain that several sections of the A361/Southam Road south of the roundabout, which were supposed to be resurfaced, had been missed.

He said: “When I saw that the resurfacing of Southam Road was planned I was delighted - but the devil was in the detail. The northern part of Southam Road towards Hanwell Fields, which was possibly the worst bit, was never included in these plans.

“The majority of my casework as a county councillor is about the state of this road. I don't understand why the county council would spend officer time on schemes like ‘quiet lanes’, when they can't even get the basics right.

“I just want the county council to finish the job they started and resurface the rest of Southam Road. People in Banbury have had enough.”

The council described the recent road improvement project on the A361 as a “massive piece of work” and said the section that was resurfaced was prioritised because it was most in need of repair.

Cllr Liz Leffman, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways construction and repairs, said: “The work undertaken at Southam Road extends right through the centre of the town, up to the iconic Banbury Cross.

“We do not have an unlimited budget for highway maintenance, so we prioritise our investment using a risk-based approach with a focus on public safety.

“Our 2026 resurfacing programme has repaired 38 roads and, together with our surface dressing programme, has covered over a million square metres of road surface. The section of Southam Road that has just been resurfaced was most in need and the improvements have been welcomed by many residents.”

Responding to Cllr Crichton’s statement, Oxfordshire County Council said it was unable to undertake all the road repairs requested by residents at one time, but it was monitoring the road and would consider it for maintenance works in the future.

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesperson said: “While we recognise there are other sections of Southam Road that residents would like to see improved, it is not possible to undertake all required maintenance at the same time. Decisions on where investment is directed must be based on the condition of the highway network as a whole and where available funding will deliver the greatest benefit.

“Any remaining sections will continue to be monitored through the council's routine inspection programme and considered alongside other priorities across Oxfordshire as future maintenance programmes are developed.”