Burton and Uttoxeter’s Member of Parliament, Kate Griffiths, has today (Tuesday 1st February) raised the issue of central Government funding for road maintenance and pothole repairs with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak MP, during a parliamentary session of Treasury Questions.
The local MP asked the Chancellor to urgently review the Government’s Pothole Fund scheme and consider whether the level was sufficient to adequately maintain the road networks given the current rising cost of materials and labour. Ms Griffiths also asked the Chancellor to consider setting three-year allocations in the future to give local authorities certainty and to ensure they can plan more effectually.
In response, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak MP, said:
“[Kate Griffiths MP] makes an excellent point about giving local councils that certainty to plan budgets years at a time.
“That is why I am pleased that last year’s spending review was a multi-year spending review—the first we have had in some time—so there are now three-year budgets in place to enable that planning.
“In terms of the overall quantum, it is £2.7 billion, which represents a 10% increase on the amount we spent on local maintenance in the last Parliament. Hopefully that is reassuring to her and her local council.”
Speaking after the exchange, Kate Griffiths MP, said:
“I am pleased that the Chancellor agrees with me that Councils need financial certainty to be able to properly plan for road improvements.
“Here in Staffordshire the County Council has the responsibility for roads maintenance but I will continue to do all I can to secure the sufficient funding required from central Government to ensure the state of our roads are improved.”
