Shropshire Star

£104 million to fix Shropshire's potholes

£104 million is will be spent filling in potholes on Shropshire's roads over the next six years, the Government has announced.

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Shropshire Council will receive £86 million, while Telford & Wrekin Council will get £18 million.It is part of a near £6 billion nationwide package, which will be staggered over six years.

The near £6 billion investment by the Government to tackle the country's pothole-ridden roads will not be enough to repair every one because of a huge backlog, it was claimed today.

RAC chief engineer David Bizley said funding for potholes is welcome – but questioned whether the announcement went far enough to tackle the problem head-on.

He said recent estimates by the Asphalt Industry Alliance suggested a one-off investment of £12 billion was needed in England to deal with the backlog in road maintenance.

And Labour shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher said: "You can't believe a single word ministers say. Local roads are in a desperate state under David Cameron. Over 2,220 miles more of our local roads now need maintenance work compared to 2010.

"Hard-pressed motorists and businesses are justifiably sick and tired of having their vehicles damaged because of Britain's pothole crises. This Tory Government is all talk."

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said a succession of severe winters and the devastating floods earlier this year had left councils playing catch-up with road maintenance.

Of the total package, just over £4.7 billion will be shared between 115 English councils.

Local authorities will be able to bid for a further £575 million available for the repair and maintenance of junctions, bridges and street lighting.

In the first payment, Shropshire Council will receive £16.5 million in 2015/16 and Telford & Wrekin just under £3.5 million.

The cash has been welcomed by transport chiefs at Shropshire Council, but bosses at Telford & Wrekin say it will not be enough to clear the backlog of repairs.

Announcing the funding, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the money would be enough to fix about 18 million potholes nationwide.

A succession of severe winters and floods earlier this year have left councils playing catch-up with road maintenance.

Councillor Claire Wild, portfolio holder for transport at Shropshire Council, said: "This is great news and adds to recent awards of funding to Shropshire of just over £4 million."

Top up

She added: "Shropshire Council has one of the longest lengths of highway to maintain in the UK and so this additional funding is needed and very welcome."

But Councillor Shaun Davies, cabinet member for Telford & Wrekin Council, said it was having to consider putting in money from its own budget to top up the pothole-busting fund.

Councillor Davies said: "We welcome continued funding towards highway maintenance over the next few years Although, as is the case with most local authorities, our allocation from the national pot is still insufficient to allow us to clear our backlog after decades of underinvestment.

"As a former New Town, the added challenge in Telford is that there was concentrated investment in roads and other infrastructure in the 1960s that is now wearing out at the same time.

"Historically this council has put additional money towards highway maintenance from our own budgets on top of Government money and we are currently consulting on next year's budget. We try to focus maintenance on our strategic highway routes across the borough but priorities across all types of road are determined following consultation with local communities.

"In addition, our £13.6m Pride in Your Community initiative is putting further investment in roads and the environment over this year and next."

Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow, said: "We all know potholes and poorly maintained roads are a menace, particularly in the winter around Christmas, so this is great news for everybody who relies on roads in a rural area like south Shropshire.

"This investment of £16.5 million will go a long way to fixing the problems on our roads, bringing some welcome good news for Shropshire at the start of this festive period."

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