This week's Champion carries an article about pothole budgets for Sefton. And it's good news...:A £200m windfall given out by the Government to councils across the country will be used to help repair potholes on West Lancashire's roads, it has been confirmed.
The Department for Transport said that the money had been given to all local authorities following last week's Budget to help repair a nationwide menace to motorists, and although a specific amount hasn't been allocated to West Lancashire yet the amount given to Lancashire as a whole stands at nearly £3.8m, while the amount given to dealing with the problem on Sefton's roads stands at more than £600,000.
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said:
“Potholes are a menace to all road users and I want councils to make fixing them a priority. That is why, when more funding became available, I agreed with the Chancellor that we would double the amount of money we are providing for repairs to be carried out.
"This represents a significant investment in road maintenance at a time of severe fiscal restraint, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to maintain our infrastructure to support motorists and businesses."
The funding is in addition to the £831 million already provided to councils for road maintenance this year and the £3 billion the Government has committed over the next four years, the Department for Transport added.
Lancashire County Council, who have been given the £3,792,323 to spend on repairing potholes, have welcomed the boost, and will use the funds to repair potholes created by last winter's severe weather.
”Repairing our roads following three harsh winters in a row is one of our top priorities and the council has already committed around £25m in the budget for the next year.
“We are well on with the job of repairing potholes caused by the harsh winter – last year we fixed over 20,000 potholes. This extra money will allow us to catch up on the backlog of pothole repairs. Not only that, we'll be able to do more full resurfacing schemes so the repairs will be of better quality and last longer.”
The Department for Transport said that the money had been given to all local authorities following last week's Budget to help repair a nationwide menace to motorists, and although a specific amount hasn't been allocated to West Lancashire yet the amount given to Lancashire as a whole stands at nearly £3.8m, while the amount given to dealing with the problem on Sefton's roads stands at more than £600,000.
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said:
“Potholes are a menace to all road users and I want councils to make fixing them a priority. That is why, when more funding became available, I agreed with the Chancellor that we would double the amount of money we are providing for repairs to be carried out.
"This represents a significant investment in road maintenance at a time of severe fiscal restraint, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to maintain our infrastructure to support motorists and businesses."
The funding is in addition to the £831 million already provided to councils for road maintenance this year and the £3 billion the Government has committed over the next four years, the Department for Transport added.
Lancashire County Council, who have been given the £3,792,323 to spend on repairing potholes, have welcomed the boost, and will use the funds to repair potholes created by last winter's severe weather.
”Repairing our roads following three harsh winters in a row is one of our top priorities and the council has already committed around £25m in the budget for the next year.
“We are well on with the job of repairing potholes caused by the harsh winter – last year we fixed over 20,000 potholes. This extra money will allow us to catch up on the backlog of pothole repairs. Not only that, we'll be able to do more full resurfacing schemes so the repairs will be of better quality and last longer.”
Sefton Council, who have been given the £613,026 to spend on repairing potholes, declined to comment but Councillor Tony Robertson, the council's leader, told The Champion he welcomed the investment,
"Any money we can get to help keep our roads up to scratch is most welcome as last winter's deep freeze had a terrible effect on many road surfaces across the borough," he said.
To promote greater transparency and accountability, all local highway authorities, including Lancashire County Council, have agreed to publish information on their website by 30 September 2011 showing where this extra money has been spent.
(Article by David Simister. Picture is of Birkdale Councillor, and friend of Manor Ward, Simon Shaw.)
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