‘People here in Scunthorpe have had enough’ – MP welcomes extra road funding

Scunthorpe’s MP has welcomed increased roads maintenance cash for North Lincolnshire, saying that residents “have had enough” of bad quality roads.

On December 20, the Government announced up to £13m cash for road maintenance in northern Lincolnshire next year. North Lincolnshire Council will get at least £6.5m, and up to £8.9m in total, dependent on showing it is delivering.

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. Sir Nic Dakin MP has strongly welcomed the funding, and reflected on how often the issue is raised by constituents.

“When the local Labour team are out on the doorstep speaking to neighbours, the dire state of the roads is constantly brought up as their number one issue. It’s dangerous. People here in Scunthorpe and the surrounding area have had enough, and so have I.

“I welcome the Government’s record investment to fix potholes and repair roads, another sign that Labour is focused on delivering real change in the everyday lives of people in our community.” North Lincolnshire Council has paid out £42,000 compensation in the last four years to drivers for damage to vehicles caused by potholes on its roads. This summer, it spent more than £4m on various resurfacing works in the likes of Barton-upon-Humber, Brigg, Scunthorpe and Yaddlethorpe. It was approached for comment on the new awarded funding.

North East Lincolnshire Council will be getting next year a minimum of £3.1m from the new roads maintenance funding, with a possible extra million if it shows it is delivering road improvements. A council spokesperson said: “We are currently working on developing the programme of works for the 2025-26 calendar year within the new budget envelope, which will both deal with reactive maintenance, and also preventative schemes that will reduce the development of potholes in the future.”

The Government 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.

However, Scunthorpe Live understands this will not make any difference in northern Lincolnshire. North East Lincolnshire Council runs a streetworks permit scheme for use of road space. The only approved Department for Transport lane rental schemes are all in London and the South East.

Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe