Councillor Allan Andrews, Conservative Spokesman for City Services, which includes highways, has welcomed the Government’s announcement that it will give £100 million to councils for pothole repairs.
This is especially valuable after the very cold weather this winter caused terrible damage to a lot of our roads.
The Government’s move has been welcomed by the AA who estimate that, if the £100 million is used entirely for roads, it will repair 1.5 million potholes.
The money is in addition to the £831 million already provided to councils for road maintenance this year. Councillor Allan Andrews, the Conservative Spokesman for City Services on Coventry City Council, which includes roads, has supported increased funding for road repairs in Coventry. In their alternative budget, local Conservatives pledged to spend an extra £1.25m on Coventry’s roads next year in addition to the £4.75m that was agreed by the Labour administration. This would have seen £6m spent on Highways Maintenance in 2011/12 and Conservatives have pledged a further £6m in 2012/13.
Commenting on the Government’s announcement, Councillor Allan Andrews said: “This money is very welcome news and will help increase the work that can be done by the Council.
“However, I will be asking for clear assurances that any extra funding from this amount for Coventry City Council will go directly to our Highways Maintenance budget and not be used to fund other items. This money should be used to make a real difference to roads in our city.”