£17m boost for road repairs in Greater Lincolnshire

Councils across Greater Lincolnshire are set to get almost £17 million combined funding  for road repairs from central government.

The Department for Transport today announced how it would be splitting the extra cash announced in the budget – with Lincolnshire County Council getting £13.7 million, North Lincolnshire getting £2,040,000 and North East Lincolnshire getting £885,000.

Lincolnshire’s segment was the biggest across the East Midlands area.

Funding will go towards repairing roads and investing in small safety, bus priority or walking and cycling schemes.

Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Last year’s nightmare winter and the long, hot summer have both taken their toll on the roads, and this £13.7 million will help us undo some of the damage.

“With 5,500 miles of road to maintain, we’ll be sure to make every penny count, and will look to keep the county’s roads in the best possible condition with the cash that’s available.

“However, while this extra funding is very welcome, it’s nowhere near the hundreds of millions of pounds we’d need to bring our roads up to the standard we’d like.

“If councils here received the average funding for council areas in England, the region would benefit from £116 million of extra funding for services every year – some of which could be used towards highways repairs. That would make a massive difference.”

Making the announcement on Monday, Roads Minister Jesse Noman said: “Potholes are a huge problem for all road users, and too often we see issues occurring at the same place time after time.

“That is why the Government is investing more in improving our roads than at any time before – £15 billion between 2015 and 2020 and a further £28.8 billion to 2025. Plus an immediate extra £420 million for potholes and local road maintenance just this year.

“Yorkshire and the Humber will be getting an extra £42 million this winter to keep its roads in good condition to keep drivers and cyclists safe.”

Both North and North East Lincolnshire have been contacted for comment, neither had replied at the time of publication.

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