The Manx government spent just under £12,000 on a survey that confirmed what we all suspected - that satisfaction with the conditions of our roads is very low.

Details of the cost of the survey carried out the UK’s National Highways and Transport Network were revealed in a Freedom of Information request submitted by Michael Josem of the newly-launched Manx Taxpayers’ Alliance.

They show that the Department of Infrastructure paid a total of £11,940 including VAT to Devon-based Building Software Ltd, trading as Measure2Improve for the NHT public satisfaction survey.

A £250 loyalty discount was also awarded as the Isle of Man has taken part in the NHT Survey previously.

It was one of the 109 authorities across the British Isles to do so in 2020.

The survey was sent to 3,300 households and 624 members of the public responded, including 93 on-line.

Headline public satisfaction results ranged from a high of 75% for ’local bus service, to a low of 28% for ’condition of highways’, down from an already low of 34% the previous year.

Curiously, given that low figure for condition of highways, road maintenance actually scored 48%, just below the UK average of 49%.

Mr Josem, who resigned as chairman of Liberal Vannin at the end of last year after failing to win a seat in a House of Keys by-election, said: ’Spending £12,000 of taxpayers’ money to learn that the Manx public is widely dissatisfied with roads and transport conditions does not seem like good value for money.

’Any government official can join a bunch of Facebook groups and listen to the views of Manx drivers for free.

’It seems that the DoI themselves might have thought it doesn’t give good value-for-money, since they didn’t reveal how much was spent at the time of releasing the survey results. This is a good example of how sunlight is the best disinfectant of government expenditure.’

Mr Josem subsequently emailed Infrastructure Minister Tim Baker asking why an exemption from financial regulations was approved by the Treasury for the commissioning of the survey by his department. He also asked whether any Manx firms were given the opportunity to tender and what consideration was given to enlisting a Manx firm to conduct the survey.

Mr Baker replied that he was not DoI Minister at the time the survey was commissioned and referred the request to an officer in the department.