Mark Whitehead 28 March 2017

Councils need £12bn to bring roads ‘up to scratch’

Roads are deteriorating faster than they can be repaired and it would need more than £12bn to bring them up to scratch, council leaders have warned.

The Local Government Association (LGA) says a lack of funding has left councils 'trapped in a frustrating cycle' and it would take more than ten years just to catch up with the repairs needed.

The warning follows the annual survey carried out by the Asphalt Industry Alliance, which found that one in six local roads in England and Wales will need to be repaired or closed within the next five years.

The 2017 Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey said councils were on average short of £4.3m each to repair their roads properly.

Cllr Judith Blake, transport spokesperson at the LGA, said it was becoming 'increasingly urgent' to address the roads crisis.

'Local authorities fixed a pothole every 19 seconds again last year despite significant budget reductions leaving them with less to spend on fixing our crumbling roads,’ she said

'Councils are proving remarkably efficient in how they use this diminishing funding pot but they remain trapped in a frustrating cycle that will only ever leave them able to patch up our deteriorating roads.'

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Principal Transport Planner (Strategy)

North Northamptonshire Council
£46,731-£49,764
We are looking for an experienced professional to join North Northamptonshire Council as a Principal Transport Planner (Strategy). Sheerness House, 41 Meadow Road, Kettering moving to Haylock House, Kettering Parkway, Kettering NN15 6EY, United Kingdom
Recuriter: North Northamptonshire Council

Highways Capital Delivery Manager

South Wales Trunk Road Agent
£50,788 - £52,805
To be responsible for the implementation of Welsh Government’s Renewal and Upgrade programme. Baglan, Port Talbot
Recuriter: South Wales Trunk Road Agent

Senior Engineer x 2

Hounslow London Borough Council
£47,532 –£55,620 per annum
Our people are deeply committed to providing excellent services to our residents, doing all we can to make lives as good as they can be. Hounslow (City/Town), London (Greater)
Recuriter: Hounslow London Borough Council

Part Time Prison Library Assistant - HMP/YOI Chelmsford

Essex County Council
£25081.00 - £27653.00 per annum + Pro Rata
Part Time Prison Library Assistant - HMP/YOI ChelmsfordFixed Term, Part Time£25,081 to £27,653 Per Annum, Full Time EquivalentLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Head of SEN Assessment & Resolution

The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council
£77136 - £88230 per annum
Shape a fairer future for children with special educational needs.As Head of SEN Assessment and Resolution at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chel England, London
Recuriter: The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council
Linkedin Banner