County roads get a £13.7mboost - but it's not enough

Lincolnshire will receive an extra £13.7m of Government cash to fund road repairs, it has been confirmed.
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The Department for Transport has that is the figure heading to Lincolnshire from the £420m of roads funding nationally announced in the Budget.

Within the East Midlands, Lincolnshire was given the biggest funding boost, netting almost a third of the money granted to the region.

Coun Richard Davies, Executive Member for highways, welcomed the extra money.

However, he confirmed the amount fell well short of the money needed to bring the county’s roads up to an acceptable standard.

Coun Davies said: “Last year’s nightmare winter and the long-hot summer have both taken their toll on the roads, and this £13.7m will help us undo some of the damage.

“With 5,500 miles of road to maintain, we’ll be sure to make every penny count and will look to keep the county’s roads in the best possible condition with the cash that’s available.

“However, while this extra funding is very welcome, it’s nowhere near the hundreds of millions of pounds we’d need to bring our roads up to the standard we’d like.

“That’s why we’ll continue to push the Government for fairer funding for Lincolnshire.

“If councils here received the average funding for council areas in England, the region would benefit from £116 million of extra funding for services every year – some of which could be used towards highways repairs.

“That would make a massive difference.”

The County Council is is already committed to re-surfacing Boston Road in Horncastle next February.

Local councils will abe hoping some of the money is spent in their neighbourhoods nut main routes are a likely priority.