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LGA - Budget 2017: Councils respond to £690 million competition to tackle urban congestion
Cllr Martin Tett, LGA Transport spokesman, responds to the announcement in yesterday's Spring Budget of a £690 million competition to tackle urban congestion.
"We are pleased that the Government has recognised the importance of investing in local roads, particularly those that are heavily congested. Whilst more money to solve congestion problems is good news, we need to see the detail behind the headline. We hope the Government directs this money towards local roads to help local people. Councils stand ready to work with central government to identify local schemes that can be delivered quickly.
"Councils need the ability to plan for the long-term as, after all, it takes time to build new roads. We would ask they should be given a long-term commitment on funding as opposed to annual announcements. Competitive bidding can be a time-consuming process and decisions are best left to local people."
