Government announces 275 million funding pot for local road maintenance

Twenty-eight county councils in the UK have been awarded funding to improve local transport links.

The projects are being funded by a £275 million pot designed to help maintain and improve major local roads. The pot forms part of the larger £6 billion worth of funding announced for local road maintenance last December.

Some of the county councils awarded funding include Bedford, Blackpool, Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, Lancashire, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxfordshire, and the West Midlands. In total, 28 local government bodies will share the funding pot, with 31 schemes receiving money.

Projects put forward as part of the scheme include replacing ageing street lights with new LED bulbs, motorway maintenance and the building of new transport infrastructure.

The most expensive project on the list, receiving £39,931 of funding from the Department for Transport, belongs to the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority, and forms part of a six-year plan to renew 211 miles of the county’s road network.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "Good quality local roads are essential for people to get on with their daily business and today’s announcement will provide extra capacity where it is needed most.

"This government has put record funding in place for local roads as part of our long-term economic plan to improve journeys, create jobs and drive economic growth."