£420m to fix UK’s pot holes
The latest Budget delivered some good news for classic motorists who use the UK’s roads all year round – from 2019, local councils will have an extra £420 million with which to keep on top of the job of repairing pot holes.
Extreme weather has battered UK roads this year; with more classics heading out to summer shows than there have been in the past decade ( CCW, 24 October), the last thing any owner wants is a damaged wheel or suspension unit.
RAC Foundation director, Steve Gooding, said: ‘Extra cash to help councils fill in potholes can’t go amiss, though motorists might wonder whether this marks the start of a longer-term strategy or just the latest in a series of temporary patches.’
Classic car specialist, Dave Gate, of Cheshire-based Phoenix Motor Bodies, was also encouraged by the news; he has had to repair scores of buckled alloy and steel wheels during the past five years. He said: ‘The extra money is encouraging, but it won’t be enough to fix years of neglect in every county. I’ll be repairing old and new alloy wheels for a good long while yet.
‘The problems I often encounter are cracks in the inner rim where there’s no support from the spoke. Classics fare better on rough roads because their steel wheels are narrower and more resilient and their higher profile tyres allow more “give” when dealing with ruts and holes.’
phoenixmotorbodies.co.uk