£70m cost of repairs

THE cost of backlogs to road repairs in South Tyneside has soared to almost £70m.

Members of South Tyneside Council were told about the increasing toll of the borough’s crumbling highways as they were updated on plans to try to stop the rot.

The council is facing a £69m highway maintenance backlog.

In the last year the council allocated £2.5million on filling potholes and repairing road surfaces, but the overall backlog for the borough remains much higher.

The council’s Highway Asset Management Plan is supposed to help transport bosses maintain top tier status among other local authorities to guarantee access to the biggest government grants available.

It has previously claimed failing to keep this rating could cost it £676,000 in missed handouts from Westminster betweem 2018/19-20/21.

Conservative councillor Jeff Milburn asked what was being done to find a ‘long term solution’ to highways problems.

His question provoked a heated reply from Coun Ed Malcolm, who said: “I’m always surprised at councillors comments about what we’re doing as a council when his government, the government of his party, the Conservative government, has foisted austerity on local governments and on the country.” Coun Ed Malcolm