The Government’s £200m pledge to fix the country’s potholes would barely be enough to pay for Newcastle’s huge backlog alone, council bosses have complained.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the extra funding to repair the nation’s roads in last week’s spring budget. But people in Newcastle have been warned that the cash “falls far short” of what is needed to sort out the city’s crumbling highways.
Newcastle has been allocated £602,400 from the new funding – but the city council’s repairs backlog totals a whopping £184m. Labour councillor Jane Byrne, the local authority’s cabinet member for transport, said: “Making sure our roads and pavements are well-maintained is a priority for us and residents in the city understandably expect our highways to be kept in good condition.
