The Government has announced up to £13m in funding for councils’ road maintenance in northern Lincolnshire next year.
It is part of a record £1.6bn Government investment across England – an increase of nearly 50 per cent on local road maintenance funding from last year. According to the AA, fixing potholes is a priority for 96 per cent of drivers.
But a quarter of the cash could be held back until councils have shown they are delivering improvements to roads. More money from the likes of utility companies being charged for roads disruption will also be ringfenced to go back into roads maintenance.
“Broken roads can risk lives and cost families hundreds if not thousands of pounds on repairs,” said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. “That’s a cost that can easily be avoided by investing properly in our roads.”
North Lincolnshire Council is set to receive £6.5m in roads maintenance cash for 2025/26, plus £2.4m more if it demonstrates it is delivering. For North East Lincolnshire Council, £3.1m is guaranteed, and over £1m more possible.
Together, northern Lincolnshire could get more than £13m cash to fix potholes. This comes as figures from the RAC show drivers encounter an average of six potholes per mile in England and Wales, and the cost of pothole damage to vehicles is around £500 on average.
(Image: Donna Clifford/GrimsbyLive)
The Government has also announced half of surplus lane rental funds will be reinvested into roads maintenance, so that even more roads can be improved. Lane rental schemes allow local highway authorities to charge companies for the time that street and road works occupy the road. Utility works have been the subject of political discussion previously in Grimsby.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “Potholes have plagued motorists for far too long, but today’s record investment will start to reverse a decade of decline on our country’s roads.
“Millions will drive home for Christmas today, but too many will have to endure an obstacle course to reach their loved ones. Potholes damage cars, and make pedestrians and cyclists less safe. We are investing £1.6bn to fix up to seven million more potholes next year.
“This government is firmly on the side of drivers. Every area of England will get extra cash to tackle this problem once and for all. We have gone beyond our manifesto commitment to back motorists and help raise living standards in every part of the country.”
Road users in northern Lincolnshire are also being encouraged to report potholes in their area to their local council through a dedicated Gov.uk page. The Department for Transport is also consulting on devolving powers to approve lane rental schemes, which are currently with the Secretary of State, to local Mayors.
“Clamping down on poor works carried out by utilities companies and overrunning roadworks is sorely needed, and we are pleased to see action being taken here,” said AA President Edmund King. “Widening lane rental approval to local Mayors should reduce red tape, and we hope it means more roads can be opened in first class condition.”
“This is the biggest one-off road maintenance funding settlement councils in England have ever been given, so we have high hopes it’s the turning point that ends the degradation of our roads and finally delivers fit-for-purpose, smooth surfaces for drivers and all other road users,” said RAC’s head of policy Simon Williams.
“What’s particularly positive is that this announcement is not just about giving councils money to fix dangerous potholes, it comes with the important caveat of using the money wisely by carrying out preventative maintenance to stop more potholes appearing in the future.” Elsewhere, Lincolnshire County Council has been awarded up to £60.4m.
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Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe
