Lincolnshire Council Announces £10m Boost for Road Maintenance
In an effort to improve the crisis-ridden road network in Lincolnshire, the county council has reserved £10m for road maintenance. A statement revealed that approximately 660 miles of Lincolnshire's roads are in poor or very poor condition and are in dire need of repair.
Funding Boost to Improve Highways
Martin Hill, Lincolnshire County Council Leader, formally announced the funding increase for highways on Friday, September 15. Hill countered critics' fears about the authority's financial status after the declaration of bankruptcy by Birmingham City Council. Reassuring the full council about the county's financial stability, he highlighted that the extra £10 million from underspend returns would significantly impact the community.
"The news that we can put an extra £10 million into such an important area as Highways for the people and businesses of Lincolnshire is critically important. We face very considerable cost pressures in keeping the 5,500 miles of our road network usable on a daily basis," Hill said.
He further emphasized that the additional funding would make a significant difference to those who travel around Lincolnshire regularly.
Previous Funding Cuts
In recent past years, a total of £29m was allocated to the highways department for road maintenance. The authority, however, suffered a cut of £12m to its highways spending in the 2019/20 financial year. Hill indicated that Government support had been inconsistent, leading to financial challenges for the Council.
"These measures will only go so far in closing down some of the effects felt because of the missing annual funding," added Cllr Richard Davies, Executive for Highways. He further noted the importance of the government restoring the missing millions to improve the county's road network further.