Councils across England have today been allocated their share
of £500 million for highways maintenance, with the funding
expected to fix the equivalent of 10 million potholes across
the country.
It is the second instalment from the £2.5 billion Potholes
Fund, providing £500 million a year between 2020/21 and
2024/25, announced by the Chancellor in the 2020 Budget – and
is part of wider funding the Department provides for road
maintenance, totalling over £1.1 billion across England in
2021/22.
With the average pothole costing around £50 to fill in, the
funding will ensure that the equivalent of 10 million potholes
can be repaired, making thousands of local roads both safer and
easier to drive and cycle on.
Transport Minister Baroness Vere said:
“We know potholes are more than just a nuisance – they can be
dangerous to drivers and cyclists alike, and cause damage to
thousands of vehicles every year.
“The funding allocated today will help councils ensure roads
in their area are kept up to standard, and that the potholes
that blight road users can be dealt with promptly.”
The Department has already invested heavily in pothole filling
since 2015, including the £296 million Pothole Action Fund
which ran from 2015/16 – 2020/21. It also topped up highway
maintenance investment in 2018 with a one-off £420 million
boost to all highway authorities in England, including London.
The Government is committed to supporting motorists. Through
RIS2, the Government is investing £27 billion in the biggest
ever roads programme – with £10bn of the record-breaking sum
specifically for road maintenance, operations and renewals.
ENDS
