Chancellor Philip Hammond is to announce an extra £420m for local councils in England to combat the growing number of potholes
Chancellor Philip Hammond will make the announcement in the autumn budget 2018, alongside a £28.8bn fund to upgrade England’s motorways.
The Asphalt Industry Alliance has said more than £8bn would be needed for a one-time fix of potholes in England.
Labour criticised the move to invest heavily on major roads, arguing the money should be spent on public transport.
In the budget 2018, Hammond will announce £25.5bn for Highways England for major road upgrades between 2020 and 2025.
An extra £3.5bn of “new money” will be allocated to major local routes, which fall under the remits of local councils.
The £420m for potholes is on top of an existing fund of almost £300m.
Alongside extra money for potholes, councils will be given an extra £150m to improve road junctions on local roads.
A harsh winter and a hot summer has contributed to an increased number of potholes on England’s roads.
RAC chief engineer David Bizley said the extra money being spent on road infrastructure was “good news” for motorists.
But he added the government needed to look at a long-term strategy to “eliminate the backlog in preventative maintenance”.
Labour’s shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said major spending on motorways “isn’t sustainable”.
McDonald said: “With car dependency rising, public transport in decline and local roads in a state of disrepair, ramping up spending on major roads is the wrong decision.”
