Government Allocates Additional £72 Million for East of England Road Repairs

The government has announced that the East of England is set to receive an additional £72 million for pothole and pavement repairs in the coming year. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander informed the BBC that “too many of our roads are plagued by potholes.” Lesley Wagland, a Conservative and deputy leader at Essex County Council, expressed that the local authority was “always grateful” for funding to address potholes. According to the Asphalt Industry Alliance, only 36% of local roads in the region are currently in good structural condition. During a visit to Loughton in Essex on Thursday, Alexander stated, “We’ve had a decade of neglect, really, when it comes to the funding of our roads.” She further added, “I’m really keen to see that get out to local councils starting next year to bring that change the public want to see.” The Labour government has indicated its plan to invest £1.6 billion in highways maintenance throughout England. Approximately £271 million of this amount is designated for the East of England, with £72 million identified as additional funds not previously committed. The comprehensive funding allocated to each area, encompassing new financial provisions, is as follows: Simon Williams, head of policy for the RAC, commented: “This is the biggest one-off road maintenance funding settlement councils in England have ever been given.” He expressed, “We have high hopes it’s the turning point that ends the degradation of our roads.” Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer remarked: “Broken roads can risk lives and cost families hundreds if not thousands of pounds on repairs.” He added, “That’s a cost that can easily be avoided by investing properly in our roads.” Regarding the additional £12 million allocated to Essex, Wagland stated: “It’s never really enough.” She continued, “But we did manage to do £100m on our roads this year as Essex, of which £70m was from our own budgets.” Wagland asserted, “We are really determined to do the very best we can to keep the roads in good order.” The Asphalt Industry Alliance estimated that the cost to repair all roads solely within the East of England would amount to £2 billion. In the preceding year, the former Conservative government had designated an additional £200 million for road maintenance across England. For updates on Essex news, follow on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.