Cheshire East Council has been allocated a total of £13 million from the government's highways maintenance funding for next financial year, which includes £5.7 million for potholes.
This represents a drop of nearly £4 million, which is a 23% reduction compared with the current year. Furthermore, between 2016/17 and 2019/20 the level of funding was frozen at £12 million; the cumulative impact of that decision is now clear to everyone who uses the Cheshire East local road network.
Councillor Laura Crane, cabinet member for highways and waste said, "We work hard to maintain the roads in Cheshire East, but we can only do what is affordable based on available funding.
"This reduction in government money puts further pressure on the council's budget and will limit next year's maintenance programme, their announcement comes just six weeks ahead of the new financial year, so plans have already begun for works that we now find are unaffordable.
"We know how important the condition of our road network is to our residents and to road users, whether they be drivers, cyclists or bus passengers. Please let me reassure you that we will continue to do what we can with the resources we have available.
"Using the online reporting tool (see link below), residents are encouraged to continue to let us know about potholes and other road defects – that way we can prioritise the work that needs to be done."
Councillor Craig Browne, deputy leader of Cheshire East Council said: "An assessment by our strategic highways team has shown that we need to be investing £27 million each year, just to keep the roads in their current state. So, the outcome of the DfT's announcement, at £13 million, will inevitably be the further decline of our highways network.
"Our aim will always be to keep road users safe and we will always try to prioritise dangerous defects; however, until central government commits to provide an adequate level of funding, we will be unable to restore our road network to the condition that many residents reasonably expect."
Click here to report any road defects, including potholes, or call 0300 123 5020.
Comments
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I’ve had £1000 of tyres ruined on Cheshire East roads. Some of the problem is outsourcing and lack of personal contact (online reporting is seriously flawed in this). The rest is pure money and will.
If you don't get invited, just drive from Alderley Edge to Macc. at over 30 mph; its much the same experience!
We have just moved from Bramhall and the roads there are in a condition which residents here can only envy.
The Knutsford Road near the roundabout at Chorley is highly dangerous where potholes are going to cause some serious damage. With the pavement there fairly narrow it also presents a potential danger to pedestrians.
Why is that other responders all seem to level criticism at Cheshire East on this subject?