6 billion Pounds Set Aside for Potholes

Money has been released that will help local authorities to battle the increasingly troublesome potholes that blight Britain’s roads.

From January 2015 through to 2021, councils will have access to a fund of £6 billion to help improve roads and tackle the potholes that have emerged after recent harsh winters and severe floods. The Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, announced the fund, stating that the money would be enough to fix around 18 million potholes.

Just over £4.7 billion will be shared between 115 English councils for road maintenance, with additional funds available pending a successful bid.

Speaking about the fund, which represents a much larger Government investment in the road networks than in previous parliaments, Mr McLoughlin said; "This £6 billion funding will put an end to short-term fixes and will mean we have committed £10 billion between 2010 and 2021.

“This huge investment is part of our long-term economic plan to ensure we have a transport network fit for the 21st century.”

Industry figures have largely welcomed the news, especially as a measure to counteract potholes, but RAC chief engineer David Bizley has questioned whether or not the Government has gone far enough

“Recent estimates by the Asphalt Industry Alliance suggest a one-off investment of £12 billion is needed in England to deal with the backlog in road maintenance, the majority of which is associated with those roads for which local authorities are responsible.” Said Mr Bizley

He continued; "The Government deserves credit for their bold actions to develop and fund an investment strategy for the strategic road network, but unless equally bold actions are taken on local roads, we risk a two-tier network with strategic roads capable of supporting economic growth but with a crumbling local road infrastructure.”

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