FILLING UP
Extra cash for pothole mess
Kent County Council has announced an extra £2m has been found for tackling a huge backlog of pothole repairs.
Council leader Paul Carter said the extra cash took the total amount for pothole fixes this year to £8.1m amid mounting criticism of the state of the county’s roads.
Speaking at a full council meeting, Mr Carter said the authority would spend the money addressing the worst-affected roads in the county.
He said: “The Beast from the East had a huge impact on the state of the 5,000 miles of roads we are responsible for.
“I am therefore pleased to announce we will be putting an extra £2m into the maintenance of the roads and this will take the total pothole and drainage budget to £8.1m.
“Gangs of excellent, and predominantly Kent-based, engi- neers are being mobilised as I speak to repair the damage caused.
“Towards the middle of June we will then reflect on how the work is going and I can assure you, if more work is needed, we will find the additional budget required.”
Cabinet member for roads and transport Cllr Mike Whiting revealed the estimated additional costs of road repairs after snow and ice was about £4m.
Last week Cllr Whiting wrote to parish councils revealing in just one week 8,000 reports of new holes has been made, the highest-ever weekly number.
It comes as it emerged KCC had turned down a third of all pothole compensation claims from motorists over the last two years, using a legal loophole.
Freedom of Information figures reveal of 995 claims made in the past two years, 342 - just under a third - were turned down because the authority could show road repairs were scheduled.
Opposition Lib Dem leader Cllr Rob Bird said: “KCC is rejecting more compensation claims than many other parts of the country. We are failing in our duty to keep our highways safe.”
Labour spokesman Cllr Dara Farrell said while the extra cash was welcome, it was wrong to reject compensation claims on the grounds work was planned.
“We would not expect payment of council tax on the grounds that the bill would be paid at some point in the future.”
It has been estimated there is a £630m backlog of repairs across Kent’s 5,000-mile network of roads.