Bradford will receive £299,000 of the £250 million Pothole Action Fund to improve local roads and deliver better journeys
The Government claims that motorists and cyclists are set to benefit today (Thursday 7 April 2016) with the announcement that £50 million of funding will repair nearly 1 million potholes across the country over the next 12 months.
14 councils in Yorkshire and The Humber will receive a share of £5.2 million, helping to remove around 98,000 potholes from local roads during this financial year. Bradford will receive £299,000 which will it is claimed repair 5,642 potholes. The funding has been made available as part of the £250 million Pothole Action Fund included in last month’s Budget, which it is claimed will fix over four million potholes by 2020/21.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said:
“I know how important well-maintained roads are to people across Yorkshire and The Humber. Almost every journey starts and ends on a local road, so the government is giving councils in the region £5.2 million specifically to tackle the blight of potholes in their area.
“This is just one part of our unprecedented investment in local road maintenance over the next five years. We are giving a record £488 million to local authorities in the region that will support the Northern Powerhouse and improve journeys for all.”
Responding to today’s announcement, Alan Mackenzie, Chairman, Asphalt Industry Alliance said:
The government’s announcement of a £50 million Pothole Action Fund for England in 2016/17 might seem like good news but is, in fact, another clear sign that the battle to rescue our crumbling local roads network is being lost.
It does nothing to address the cumulative effect of decades of underfunding and perpetuates the downward spiral of the ‘patch and mend’ approach. The most efficient way to deal with the problem of our failing roads is to fix them properly and stop potholes forming in the first place.
Poorly maintained roads simply cannot withstand the combination of severe weather and increased traffic, which is why potholes form, and which will, in time, undermine the entire structure of the road.
Our research has shown that an invest-to-save approach pays dividends with every planned investment providing long-term savings of more than twice the amount spent. Throwing money into potholes is complete madness.
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