TAXI driver Nick Chambers has taken issue with the council for spending £123,000 on a roundabout he says was not needed.

Work to fix kerbs at the Chapel Street/Gipsy Lane roundabout and the length of the A4311 Cirencester Way from the Transfer Bridges Roundabout took place at the beginning of November.

A Freedom of Information request has revealed the authority has spent about £123,000 over the last three years on work to the roundabout, which Nick, of Stratton, said was not needed in the first place.

The 46-year-old said the roundabout was enlarged around the beginning of the year and then workmen came to fix the kerbs. This, he says, disrupted his trips around Swindon with customers.

He said the council had wasted large sums of taxpayers’ money on the work.

“They are talking all the time about having to make so many cuts and then they go and spend so much money on a roundabout which was fine in the first place,” said Nick.

“There are loads of other things the council could have spent that money on – social care, the NHS, the list is endless.

“Putting new kerbs on the roundabout was not worth the money.

“It’s caused loads of disruption, and with the recent economic downturn it surprises me that the council was allowed to go ahead with it. I think it’s disgusting they can squander the money in this sort of way.

“I think when you add in the money for the resurfacing we would be talking about millions of pounds, and this is my money and the people of Swindon’s money they are wasting.”

Councillor Keith Williams, cabinet member for highways strategic transport and leisure, said the work was something which had been planned and largely paid for some years ago. This was something that was planned by my predecessor,” said Coun Williams, who represents the Shaw ward.

“Given the current economic position it is possibly not work we would have undertaken but it was planned to improve highways safety. These schemes take time to come through and I think the vast majority of the cost was committed a while ago.”