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This is from Pippa Crerar, the Guardian’s political editor, on the potholes announcements. (See 9.53am.)
NEW: Transport secretary has announced £1.6bn for councils to repair roads and fix an extra 7 million potholes next year.
This is the Morgan McSweeney style of government: deliver small material changes that public will notice. Same tactic he deployed in Barking to take on BNP.
In a Christmas boost for drivers, the landmark investment – an increase of nearly 50% on local road maintenance funding from last year – goes well beyond the government’s manifesto pledge and is enough to fix the equivalent of over 7 million extra potholes in 2025 to 2026 …
The government is today announcing how much each local authority is being allocated. Each local authority can use its share of the £1.6 billion for 2025 to 2026 to identify which of their roads are in most need of repair and to deliver immediate fixes for communities and raise living standards across every area of the country.
Through our Plan for Change we’re determined to put more money back into the pockets of hardworking people and improve living standards. That’s why we’re giving councils funding to repair our roads and get Britain moving again – with a clear expectation that they get on with the job.
This is the biggest one-off road maintenance funding settlement councils in England have ever been given. So we have high hopes it’s the turning point that ends the degradation of our roads and finally delivers fit-for-purpose, smooth surfaces for drivers and all other road users.
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