The Government has announced they are to spend £500 million fixing the UK’s crumbling road network after axing a number of road projects across the country.
Whilst Labour’s first budget featured many tax rises, £ million will be spent on fixing potholes (Image: Getty)
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced that the Government will allocate an extra £500 million to spend on fixing the increasing number of potholes on the roads.
Whilst the Labour Government’s first budget featured a number of measures that will leave UK motorists out of pocket and spending freezes, the move could help to improve the quality of the road network.
Speaking in the commons during the October Budget, Reeves highlighted that funding for local transport funding will be increased to a total of £650 million, in a bid to reduce potholes.
She explained: “I am also funding significant improvements in our road network. For too long, potholes have been an all too visible reminder of our failure to invest as a nation. Today that changes.
“With £500 million increased in road maintenance budgets next year, more than delivering on our manifesto commitment to fix an additional one million potholes each year, we will provide over £650 million of local transport funding to improve connections across our country.”
Potholes are a significant contributing factor to breakdowns, damaging tyres, wheels, and suspension (Image: Getty)
In the Labour’s election manifesto, the party stated that they would increase the number of potholes repaired each year by one million.
The party suggested that they could raise revenue to do this by axing the A27 bypass in West Sussex, which was set to cost £320 million to build.
Nevertheless, the move comes at a time when many other areas have received a spending cut as the Government tries to reduce national debt.
In their manifesto, Labour pledged to fix a million potholes, which would cost around £45 million (Image: Getty)
According to the road damage assessment service Stan the App, there are an estimated 11.5 million potholes across the UK’s road network, which are caused by cracks being pushed apart by rain that freezes into ice during the winter.
In addition to being uncomfortable to travel over, driving over potholes can lead to a number of problems, including punctured tyres, misaligned wheels, and damaged suspension and steering components.
Whilst drivers can often claim for any damage that was caused by potholes, many motorists have been calling for a boost in spending to prevent harm in the first place.
Paul Barker, Editor of the motoring publication Auto Express, noted that the rise in funding is needed to prevent further cases of damage and accidents.
He added: “Staggering numbers of cars are now being damaged as a result of ineffectual road maintenance, while as many as 118 cyclists have died on the roads over the last four years as a direct result of potholes.
“It’s time for the government to respond to drivers’ priorities. That means making significant investments in road infrastructure and ensuring effective police action against car crime, while staying true to their manifesto promise not to raise taxes on working people.”
