Disappointment as government to cut county’s road maintenance funding by £12m

The government has cut the funding for the upkeep of Lincolnshire’s roads by a quarter in a move branded “disappointing” by those responsible locally for their maintenance.

The money allocated to Lincolnshire County Council, who maintain the roads in the area, has been reduced by more than £12m from £51m in this financial year to £38.7m.

Just this week The Voice reported on residents being left frustrated with a host of problems on South Hollands roads.

As previously stated, Lincolnshire County Council had already earmarked an extra £10m from its own budget for road maintenance.

But rather than further funding, the authority says it’s now looking to up that to £12.3m to offset the loss of government funding.

Coun Richard Davies, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said:”For such a vitally important service to be cut so drastically is frustrating and disappointing.

“We must receive more reports, requests and comments about our roads, than about any other county council service.

“We operate as efficiently as we can, and ultimately the limit to how well we can maintain and improve our roads is based on how much money we can invest in it.

“This funding cut will mean less road resurfacing, fewer potholes filled, and more exacerbated motorists.

“I don’t want this to be the start of a worrying trend of cuts to our roads funding.

“Prevention is always better than the cure, and without adequate funding, there will be long-term consequences for the state of our roads, and huge investment needed to bring them back up to standard.”

A Lincolnshire County Council spokesperson said that in 2019/20, the authority was able to invest around £25,000 per mile in our road network, while London councils were able to afford an average of £62,000 per mile.

Lincolnshire County councillors will discuss allocating an extra £10m to highway maintenance for 2021/22 during the budget meeting tomorrow (Friday). 

Coun Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said: “I will recommend that we make up the entire £12.3m shortfall this year in our budget – providing an extra £2.3m on top of the current plans – but the local taxpayers of Lincolnshire should not be expected to cover indefinitely money which should go to road repairs that the government holds from fuel duty.

“Continuing to invest in Lincolnshire’s infrastructure would have been an ideal way to continue the Government’s agenda of ‘levelling up’ the county.

“But a roads funding reduction of nearly 25% seems completely counterproductive and at odds with that manifesto promise.

“County councils like ours are usually dealt a raw deal compared to our counterparts in larger cities.

“Alongside other rural shire counties that have been affected by funding cuts like this, we’ll continue to lobby to reverse that trend and see a fairer funding model brought in that recognises the unique challenges a large county like ours – with over 5,500miles of road – faces. “