Department for Transport awards Shropshire Council extra £3.5 million to invest in road maintenance

Shropshire Council is planning how to spend its share of a £215 million fund for local road maintenance after funding allocations were published just before Christmas (18 December 2012) by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin. 

The £215 million is part of a £333 million fund announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement for essential maintenance to renew, repair and extend the life of roads in England.  This funding is in addition to the £3 billion the Government is already providing for councils in England between 2011 and 2015 for highways maintenance. 

This recent announcement means that Shropshire will get an extra £3.5 million over the next two years to carry out improvements such as road resurfacing, maintenance to bridges, or repairing damage to highway infrastructure caused by severe weather events, such as the recent flooding and cold weather. 

Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for road maintenance, said:

“This extra money will support economic growth and development by helping us to get the best out of our local road networks, especially after such a wet 2012. 

“It’s vital that we continue to invest in our roads so that we can ensure people travel safely, whether they are commuting to work or taking the children to school.” 

In order to help local residents see where this money has been spent the council will publish a short statement on their website at the end of each financial year (end of April 2014 and end of April 2015) setting out what and where this additional funding has been spent. 

Further information 

The Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced in the Autumn Statement on 5 December 2012 additional funding of £333 million for highways maintenance for both the motorway and trunk road and local road network.

£215 million additional capital funding will be provided to local highway authorities, including London, to help renew and repair the network in England.  £140 million will come in 2013 to 2014, with the remaining £75 million following in 2014 to 2015.  The funds will be distributed on the basis of the department’s existing highways maintenance capital funding formula.  A full list of the allocations by region and local authority is available.