More Cash To Attack Potholes

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Council receives a £164,000 Government boost to support its ongoing repair work

Over the past 12 months the council has fixed more than 17,000 potholes and broken paving stones as part of a concerted blitz on road and footpath defects.

The year-long campaign, which was launched following the severe winter of 2012/13, saw the council pour an extra £2m into the repairs bill – bringing the total budget up to £6.4m.

Now Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has awarded the borough an additional £164,000 to help pay for the damage caused by this winter’s torrential downpours.

Transport spokesman Cllr Jonathan Cook said:
“We will put this extra money to good use in keeping our roads and pavements in tip-top condition. We recognised the damage that was caused to local pavements and roads by the previous severe winter and set out on an unprecedented repair programme to deal with these problems.

He continued:
“Our repair teams methodically worked along each and every road and footpath in the borough to make sure that any defects were fixed. In total we carried out well over 17,000 repairs. It was through the council’s prudent management of its finances that we were able to find the extra money we needed to carry out this important work and this additional money from Government means we can continue making our roads and footpaths as safe as we can for pedestrians, drivers and cyclists.”

The council is responsible for maintaining 1,500 roads in total – comprising 230 miles of road surfaces and 460 miles of pavements. The footpaths alone are long enough to stretch to Liverpool and back.

June 27, 2014