Councils say £6bn government pothole cash not enough to road maintenance backlog

摘要

The £6bn road repair programme announced by the government before Christmas will fail to plug the overall funding gap, local authorities have warned. Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin pledged to spend £1bn on local highway repairs in each of the next six years. But some councils are already wrestling with huge backlog bills. In Leeds, up to £100M is needed to complete the work, with Gloucestershire requiring £86M and the London Borough of Islington £79M. Other councils facing substantial repair bills include: Oldham (£60M); Rochdale (£58M); and Swindon (£40M).