Huge disparities in regional road repair budgets

BUCKS: The county council is calling on the Government to give it a fairer share of funding for roads – after research revealed that London is able to invest three times as much per mile.

Figures from the County Councils Network (CCN) showed 36 shire counties in the analysis were able to spend an average £20,885 per mile on such things as road repairs and pothole filling.

London councils were able to spend an average £62,350 per mile.

Mark Shaw, Bucks County Council transport cabinet member, said: “It is a fact that our roads are some of the busiest in the country and without adequate funding from government, we will always be playing catch-up.”

Cllr Shaw welcomed CCN lobbying on behalf of county councils to ensure a fair distribution of the new government’s promised £2billion for repairing potholes in the coming four years.

An announcement on allocations of the first £500million for 2020-21 is expected soon.