Cheshire East to receive £77.4 million to repair roads and potholes

Cheshire East Council is set to receive a record funding boost of £77.4 million for fixing roads and potholes.

And there is another £29 million available if the authority publishes “clear pothole and maintenance data”.

Crewe & Nantwich MP Connor Naismith has welcomed the Government’s doubling of road maintenance cash announced as part of the Budget.

Each local authority will be able to use its share of £7.3 billion to identify roads most in need of repair with the aim of delivering immediate improvements for communities and residents.

In total, £800 million is being given to councils in the North West.

The Government is also putting pressure on local authorities by more than tripling the share of local roads funding that is tied to transparency – from 8% to over 30% of the budget, worth more than £500 million.

Councils can only unlock the extra funding if they publish clear pothole and maintenance data and follow best practice.

For Cheshire East Council, this incentive allocation is an additional £28.8 million, which if unlocked, brings the council’s total allowance to over £100 million.

Mr Naismith MP said: “The government set itself the rightly ambitious target of fixing an extra million potholes a year by the end of this Parliament.

“Issues like this affect the daily lives of my constituents. Whilst in most cases fortunately not an emergency, the cumulative impact of poor road surfacing is significant.

“By doubling the funding that was promised by the previous Conservative government, Labour have proven that they’re serious about making our roads safer and fit for purpose.”

Edmund King, AA president, said: “Potholes are the number one transport concern for drivers and continue to blight too many roads, so this funding should help smooth out the road ahead.

“Providing councils with long-term funding, coupled with the requirement to publish repair data and strategies, is a pragmatic solution. That will enable residents to see how their council is progressing and hold them to account.”

RAC head of policy Simon Williams added “This investment is an extremely welcome move.

“We’ve long called for councils to be given certainty of funding over an extended period so they can properly plan maintenance of their road networks as we believe this will lead to a better, safer driving experience for motorists.

“We also welcome the government linking additional funding to councils who commit to carrying out preventative maintenance, as this stops potholes forming in the first place and extends the life of roads.

“It’s also far cheaper than continuously patching pothole-ridden roads only to have to pay far more to resurface them.”