Wirral Council has awarded Kiely Bros a £13.5m contract for the next three years for surface dressing and microsurfacing works in the borough. This contract has been awarded to make sure that the council continues to deliver on its statutory duties under the Highways Act 1980.
According to an officer report published by the local authority on 24 November, Kiely Bros Ltd was seen as the most advantageous firm to go with, says Birkenhead News.
The decision to approve a new contractor was given the go ahead by councillors on 11 March with the average value of the contract being £4.5m a year. The money for the contract will be funded through Liverpool City Region Combined Authority funding up until 2029.
Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 imposes a duty on the council as the highway authority to maintain highways. The council also has a devolved duty to maintain and improve those parts of Liverpool’s City Region’s key route network that are within Wirral.
If the council did not award the contract, the report said the council would be unable to carry out a planned programme of works to fix roads in the borough. Officers said this could have resulted in damaging the council’s reputation.
In March 2025, a total of £7,084,835 was expected to be spent on highways, footways, and bridges following additional pothole funding of £1.7m. A total of £160,000 was to be spent on Duke Street bridge and the council produced a list of roads it believes most urgently need work.
This list was subject to change. Baskerville and Dawstone Road in Heswall were later included on the list of roads being resurfaced after concerns were raised by those living on it.
At an environment committee on 2 December, councillors will receive an update on the programme. A report published before the meeting said the council’s resurfacing and surface dressing programme was finished covering more than 50km of roads.
The report said. “Spend is always a little behind actual works, but 80% of the budget has been either spent or committed with works in progress and we are well on target to complete our planned programme, this financial year.”
Mike Kiely, Managing Director of Kiely Bros, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this contract to undertake the important work of maintaining the network for the residents of The Wirral.
“A three year programme allows us to provide efficiency savings to the council with a greater sight line of planned works, which is a long term win for the residents of The Wirral.”
(Picture: Kiely Brothers)
