Councils told to prove they are fixing potholes or risk losing cash
Councils will now face tougher rules to prove they are fixing potholes or risk losing up to a third of next year’s funding.
Councils across the country have been ordered to prove they are fixing potholes and maintaining local roads or face losing funding - but this won’t apply to Sheffield.
The Department for Transport announced this week that local authorities could lose a third of their funding if they cannot fix roads.
However, Sheffield is exempt as it remains tied in to the Streets Ahead contract with private contractor Amey until 2037, a ‘private finance initiative’ where it no longer directly receives money from No 10.
Meanwhile, for Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley, councils will reportedly be bound to stricter controls on whether funding is being put to use.
Councils must publish reports proving they are “spending all of their highways cash purely on road maintenance”, showing long-term plans for looking after roads and better training for their highways teams.
Meanwhile, councils rated ‘red’ for road quality by the DfT will receive funding to improve performance and deliver smoother roads.
Neither Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley or Doncaster were rated ‘red’ as of time of writing. Rotherham is king of the roads in South Yorkshire, with green ratings across the board.
Roads and Buses Minister, Simon Lightwood, said: “Drivers deserve smooth, safe journeys, and we’re making sure every pound goes straight into fixing roads and tackling potholes, not being spent elsewhere.
“Potholes aren't just an inconvenience - they cost drivers hundreds, if not more every time they cause damage to a vehicle. Fixing our roads is one of the most impactful things we can do to reduce the cost of owning and driving a car, and we're making sure every pound goes straight into doing exactly that.
“We've made it crystal clear, that councils which fail to maintain their roads will now risk losing up to a third of their funding.
“And for the first time, we’re giving councils multi-year funding so they can plan properly and reverse a decade of decline in our roads.”
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: "These measures should go a long way to addressing the poor condition of local roads which we know from research for the RAC Report on Motoring is drivers' number-one concern.
“Ensuring money that is given to councils to improve their roads is actually spent on roads is critical, so the Government's focus on this will be welcomed by drivers. And, while fixing dangerous potholes is vital, it's also very positive to see councils being encouraged to carry out preventative maintenance work which will stop potholes forming in the future.
“Having the certainty of funding over the next five years for councils to plan proper maintenance programmes should result in better quality roads for all."