THE Commons Transport Select Committee (TSC) has called for more funding for councils to be able to solve the pothole epidemic that is blighting the countries roads.
The report ahs also branded the problem a ‘national scandal’ claiming that the problem lies with successive governments not doing enough to rectify the problem earlier and local councils for not directing funds to the appropriate areas.
It reads:
“The fact that the English local road network has been allowed to decay to the point where it would take more than a decade to bring it up to a reasonable standard is a national scandal that shows dereliction of duty by successive governments and individual local councils. The government must act now to remedy this.”
ITV.com reports that the chair of the committee, Lilian Greenwood, was quick to point out that the local councils are jointly responsible for the problem, she said. “[people] won’t have to go further than the local shops [to spot one]”
She went on to claim that councils are “raiding their highways and transport budgets to fund core services”
This report comes just a few months on from a government pledge by the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, to fix potholes once and for all, with a cash injection of £420 million for road repairs in 2018 and 2019 alone. Since we reported on that, the figure has almost doubled to £700 million according to one spokesman:
We know potholes are a nuisance and a hazard for all road users, particularly for cyclists and motorcyclists.
“To improve local roads, we are providing councils with £6.6 billion between 2015 and 2020, which includes more than £700 million for extra maintenance.
“We are also investing in trials on new road materials and repair techniques as well as using technologies to help councils predict when roads will need repairs and prevent potholes.”
