Country firms urge councils not to cut pothole repair spending

Business leaders are fearful that cash-strapped councils faced with severe budget pressures will neglect repairs to minor routes at a time of year when freezing conditions can damage roads.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) in the North, based at Richmond, is urging local councils not to cut back on vital repairs to B roads and other minor routes.

It says it recognises councils across the region are facing severe budget cuts but says it wants to remind the authorities that minor roads provide a vital lifeline for rural businesses.

Dorothy Fairburn, regional director for CLA North said: “Freezing conditions always herald the start of the pothole season and while local councils are usually quick to repair damage to major roads they are often more tardy in their approach to minor routes.

“As the ongoing austerity measures continue to bite, we are seriously concerned that cash-starved councils will be tempted to further neglect rural roads, which are a key part of the infrastructure that underpins the rural economy.”

Recent research from the national campaign group Sparse Rural revealed that some rural councils have see reductions in funding of up to nine percent compared to a national average of 4.48 percent.

According to the website potholes.co.uk, potholes are estimated to cause as many as one in five mechanical failures on UK roads, costing motorists an estimated £320m every year.

Miss Fairburn added: “In the current economic climate rural businesses cannot afford to be further disadvantaged by having to pay hefty repair bills for vehicles damaged by potholes that should have been dealt with by the local council.”

In December a survey found roads in Yorkshire are riddled with more potholes than anywhere else in the country, with an average of 8.5 per mile.

Pavements and paths in the region were found to be blighted with nearly four per mile according to the AA – worse than anywhere in England or Scotland.

However, last month the Department for Transport announced an extra £20.8m for highways maintenance in the region.

The cash is part of a £333m fund announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement for essential work to renew, repair and extend the life of England’s roads, on top of the £3bn the Government is already providing towards highways maintenance up to 2015.

As well as filling in potholes and resurfacing roads, the money could be spent on repairing damage to flood-hit routes.

The largest share – more than £6m – has been allocated to North Yorkshire, which faced a £3m repair bill after the September floods.

Local authorities across Yorkshire are grappling with major funding pressures. The survey’s findings followed a warning from the Local Government Association (LGA) in October that potholes would become a serious problem this winter as council budget cuts bite further.

Wakefield council leader Peter Box, chairman of the LGA’s economy and transport board, said at the time that Whitehall funding for local road repairs had not kept pace with demand for decades.

“Councils have long told successive governments prevention is better than cure and we need a serious commitment from Whitehall to fund widespread resurfacing of our road network,” he said.

“This will save billions of pounds down the line, make roads safer for motorists and reduce compensation costs on councils.”

The Yorkshire Post revealed earlier this year that it would cost £700m to bring the region’s 20,000-mile road network back to an acceptable state of repair.