Councils urged to apply for £168 million pothole repair fund
24 Apr 2014 02:45 PM
Extra government funding to fix more than 3
million potholes
Councils are being invited to bid for a share of a
£168 million Pothole Fund to repair local roads, making them safer and
smoother for motorists, cyclists and other road users.
Successful local authorities will sign a pothole pledge
as a condition of the funding, setting out the number of potholes they will
have repaired by March 2015.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin
said:
Part of this government’s long term plan is
investing in our roads. Potholes are a menace for all road users which is why
this extra funding is provided in addition to the £10 billion already
committed for councils for road maintenance. I want councils to rise to the
challenge and to reward councils who come up with new and better ways of making
repairs quickly and effectively.
With this new pothole fund councils will need to clearly
set out the scale of the work they are doing, and local communities can have
certainty that the money is being spent fixing potholes on their local
roads.
The
£168 million fund, announced in the Chancellor’s March Budget
statement, is enough to fix more than 3 million potholes. It is in addition to
the £10 billion for local roads maintenance that the Department for
Transport is already providing to councils in England between 2010 and
2021.
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The guidance for the
application process for local authorities is now available on
the GOV.UK website. Councils have until 4pm on Thursday 22
May 2014 to submit a bid to the Department for Transport. A track record of
best practice or proposals for innovative solutions will be recognised as part
of the bidding process, potentially resulting in increased funding for those
councils.
Through its Highways Maintenance
Efficiency Programme, the department also provides clear guidance to
councils to make the most of available funds and ensure they use the money
efficiently.