£9.5bn needed to bring roads up to scratch
Friday 26 March 2010 Back to Blog
Van leasing customers tired of Britain's damaged roads will be disappointed to hear the government will need to find £9.5 billion to bring them up to scratch.
That is the verdict of a new report from the Asphalt Industry Alliance's (AIA) 15th Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance survey.
It found that £400 million is needed just to repair the vast number of potholes caused by this year's harsh winter.
This is on top of a shortfall of £800 million in the road maintenance finances of local authorities in England and Wales.
Mike Linley, chairman of the ASA, said: "Although there has been a small increase in central government funding over recent years, it is a drop in the ocean compared to the amounts needed to stop the rot."
In his Budget speech this week, Chancellor Alistair Darling pledged £100 million towards fixing local roads, while £285 million will be invested in improving the motorways.
However, if the ASA's findings are accurate, this will fall well short of what is needed.