Potholes funding is not enough, says councillor

Cllr Emma Hoddinott said the cash fell well short of what was needed

The Department for Transport announced on Monday that Rotherham will receive an extra £1.65m in funding this winter to fix potholes and repair roads.

But Cllr Emma Hoddinott, Rotherham Council’s cabinet member for waste, roads and community safety, said the money was not enough.

“Whereas more money for roads is always welcome, the Government funding for councils falls well short of achieving the standard of roads that our residents want,” she said.

“That is why we made the decision locally to invest an extra £10m in our roads in the 2020 roads programme.

“This additional funding comes against a backdrop of spending reductions of £200m that Rotherham Council has been forced to make.”

The funding for Rotherham is part of an extra £42m investment by the Government in roads in Yorkshire and the Humber this winter.

Barnsley will recieve £1,683,000 and Doncaster will get £2,239,000.

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.

"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."

Yorkshire and the Humber will get almost £108 million from the Local Highways Maintenance and Integrated Transport Block funds next April, which will go towards repairing roads and investing in safety, bus priority or walking and cycling schemes, a Government spokesman said.