Kate writes a bi-weekly column for the Burton Mail. This column was originally featured in the 16th December print edition.
Last week’s cold snap took many of us by surprise. Having enjoyed a relatively mild winter so far, the drop in temperature and icy conditions was a reminder of the impact the seasonal elements can have on our daily lives.
Staffordshire County Council’s gritting team have been out most days salting our roads to keep us all moving safely. However, it is also in these conditions that potholes are most susceptible to forming. As your Member of Parliament, I hear from constituents on a regular basis who are frustrated at the number of potholes affecting our local roads. And as a resident myself, it is very much a frustration that I share.
Staffordshire County Council is the responsible authority for fixing our local roads in Burton and Uttoxeter, but I have done all I can since being elected, calling on Government ministers and the Department for Transport to give our local leaders more resources and investment to get the job done.
As a result, the Government has already assigned more than £5 billion in highways maintenance investment over the course of this Parliament. At the 2023 Budget earlier this year, the Chancellor announced an additional £200 million for local authorities to repair potholes.
After the cancellation of Phase 2 of HS2, a record investment of £8.3 billion to fix the blight of potholes was announced, using money previously allocated to that project in addition to the commitment of the A50/A500 corridor upgrades.
For Staffordshire, the Government has allocated an additional £186,273,000 over the next ten years to help with road defects on top of its annual budget. This funding will also complement the funding I helped secure for the A38 and the Branston Interchange redevelopment with work set to begin early next year.
Whilst the next few months will be difficult for our local highways authority as they carry out their winter maintenance programme, I am delighted that they now have significantly more resources to fill potholes and repair our roads. This is what residents and I expect and I will hold Staffordshire County Council to this.
