UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that starting Monday, local authorities in England will be required to publish annual reports laying out the state of their roads and how many potholes they’ve managed to fill, as failure will risk crucial funding.
Starmer said the move would force councils to ‘prove they’re delivering for their communities’ as If they don’t, they face missing out on a share of £1.6 billion in highway maintenance funding from the government, which includes half a billion pounds specifically for tackling potholes.
But the Local Government Association (LGA) has said many English councils are already struggling to work out how they’ll balance their budget for next year.
Recall that earlier this month, it was revealed that completely fixing pothole-pocked roads across England and Wales could cost around £17 billion and take 12 years.
A survey from the Asphalt Industry Alliance also found one in six miles of local highways has less than five years of structural life left and it cost of restoring britains roads back to a good condition had reached 16.8 billion euro, a record high.
On Monday, Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander announced £4.8 billion funding for National Highways over the coming year, which will go towards maintenance as well as new road projects.
Starmer Explains Reasons for the policy
Sir keir said: ”Potholes are an ugly scar on Britain’s roads. They’re dangerous. And they cost families, drivers and businesses hundreds, sometimes thousands, in repairs. They’re a visible sign of decline under 14 years of Tory chaos, allowing our infrastructure to crumble and never bothering to make the basics work for working people.”
”This government is on the side of drivers. That’s why we’ve frozen fuel duty. And I know the state of our roads affects millions of people and businesses across the country. Whether you’re trying to get to work or take your kids to school, or whether you drive a delivery van that businesses rely on, people depend on our roads for their lives and livelihoods.
”At the budget last year, the Chancellor announced a record 1.6 billion investment to maintain our roads. That’s £500m higher than the previous sum. It’s enough to fill an extra 7 million potholes this year alone. Our message to local councils was clear – you have the funding, now get it fixed.
”But we need to go further and faster. That’s why today we’re announcing £4.8 billion to invest in our road infrastructure. We’ll make transport easier and more efficient for everyone who relies on our roads, from commuters to companies.
”We’ve also given the go ahead for major road schemes that have been sitting gathering dust on desks for too long. We’ll upgrade roads across the country to deliver smoother, safer journeys for drivers.It’s not just the roads we’re sorting out. We’re committed to rebuilding Britain, so we’ll fast-track 150 major infrastructure parliaments in the next five years. That’s more than the last 14 years combined. We’re getting shovels in the ground to build new railways, grid connections, hospitals, schools – and 1.5 million new homes.
”And they’ll all be well served with good roads to connect the country.
”However the public deserves to know how their councils are improving their local roads, which is why they will have to show progress or risk losing 25% of their £500m funding boost. This is part of my Plan for Change. We’re rebuilding Britain, boosting growth and improving people’s lives.”
