It was announced recently by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin that a record £6 billion will be spent on tackling potholes and improving local roads between 2015 and 2021.
This investment amounts to £976 million a year, which is enough to fix around 18 million potholes across the country. This is the first time councils have been given locked-in funding over this length of time, which will help them plan ahead and save money for the taxpayer.
Patrick McLoughlin said “Roads play a significant part in everyday life. Poorly maintained local roads, blighted by potholes, are a menace to all road users. It is vital we have good quality roads.”
The Department for Transport allocates the funding to local authorities based on local need, so councils with larger highway networks receive a larger proportion of the money.
Over £4.7 billion will be shared between 115 councils, while a further £575 million will be available through a new challenge fund to help repair and maintain local highway infrastructure such as junctions, bridges and street lighting.
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority are receiving £152,487,000 with the funding to be split as follows:
Bradford £32,256,000
Calderdale £20,572,000
Kirklees £31,925,000
Leeds £45,414,000
Wakefield £22,320,000
With all the heavy snow and bad weather over recent years, the roads in our region have been becoming increasingly damaged. The funding will enable the local authorities to repair our infrastructure, making for smoother journeys in the future.
As well as this funding, there will also be £578 million for an incentive fund scheme starting in 2016. This is to reward councils who demonstrate they are carrying out cost effective improvements and delivering value for money.
