Nottinghamshire roads have been given a portion of a £959m Government fund with two ‘uplift’ payments of £2,369,000 for 2023/24 and 2024/25.
The boost from redirected HS2 funding to resurface roads will be added to existing funding allocation for the ten years from 2023/24 of £138,443,000.
It is part of a long-term plan announced today (17) to resurface 5,000 miles of roads across the country, mending potholes and improving crumbling road surfaces.
Local highway authorities in the East Midlands, including in Leicestershire, Derby, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, will each receive a share of the £959 million which they can use to identify what local roads are in most need of repair and deliver immediate improvements for communities and residents.
Across the East Midlands, local highway authorities will receive £16.4 million this financial year, followed by a further £16.4 million for 2024/2025, with the rest of the funding allocated through to 2034.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “For too long politicians have shied away from taking the right long-term decisions to make life easier for hardworking families – tackling the scourge of potholes being a prime example.
“This investment will pave the road for better and safer journeys for millions of people across the country and put an end to the blight of nuisance potholes.”
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “Most people travel by road and potholes can cause misery for motorists, from expensive vehicle repairs to bumpy, slow, and dangerous journeys.
“Today’s biggest ever funding uplift for local road improvements is a victory for all road users, who will enjoy smoother, faster and safer trips.”
According to the RAC, smoother, well-maintained road surfaces could save drivers up to £440 each in expensive vehicle repairs from pothole damage, helping motorists keep more of the cash in their pocket.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Drivers’ biggest bugbear of all is the poor condition of local roads, so the fact the Government has found a significant additional pot of revenue should give councils the certainty of funding they need to plan proper long-term road maintenance, something we have been calling for many years.
“We hope local authorities will use the money in the most effective way possible by resurfacing the very worst roads, keeping those in reasonable condition in better states for longer through surface dressing, and filling potholes as permanently as possible wherever necessary.
“This should in time go a considerable way to bringing our roads back to a fit-for-purpose state and saving drivers hundreds of pounds in the process from not having to fork out for frustrating repairs to their vehicles.”
Local authorities will now be required to publish information on their websites regularly explaining how they are spending the funding in their area.
Edmund King, AA president, said: “Perilous roads blighted by potholes are the number one concern for drivers and a major issue for bikers, cyclists and pedestrians. So far this year The AA has attended more than 450,000 pothole-related breakdowns. The damage caused can be a huge financial burden for drivers but is also a major safety risk for those on two wheels.
“The £8.3 billion plan can make a considerable difference in bringing our roads back to the standards which road users expect, especially if councils use the cash efficiently to resurface our streets. As well as safer roads, eliminating potholes gives confidence to people wanting to cycle and instils pride of place within local communities.”
About f*****g time
Good luck with that one. If you think the roads will see every penny allocated to them, your dafter than I am. Most of it will get used to bolster other dept’s, you see, most councils will sideline it and use it on other devices. Be interesting to see if Stoke Lane is in the 5000 mile plan, it’s a god damn embarrassment. Church Road, Carlton, another bone shaker. Resurfacing? … only if you have a councillor living on it perhaps or it’s either BJ or Arnold.