£10m road resurfacing investment covering 'every corner of Suffolk' approved
The cash will be focused on smaller residential streets - and some of the less busy A and B roads
Last updated 8th Nov 2023
A £10m road resurfacing investment covering ‘every corner of Suffolk’ has been approved.
The money will target local roads in villages and residential areas which have often been left aside and led to a ‘steady decline in public satisfaction for the road network’.
Cllr Paul West, who moved the proposal during yesterday's Suffolk County Council cabinet meeting, said the investment will ensure ‘every corner of Suffolk sees the benefits’.
He added: “These smaller roads are often in estates or off the beaten track in our villages and are in need of some love and attention.
“By investing in resurfacing these types of road, rather than repairing them when potholes appear, it aims to reduce ongoing maintenance costs, our carbon footprint and disruption on our roads.”
Although the investment was welcomed by councillors in the opposing benches, there was some criticism regarding the scope of the proposals.
Cllr Keith Welham pointed out this investment would only serve a proportion of an already ‘deteriorating network’, and a longer plan was needed to make sure ‘all residential roads’ are brought to standard.
However, Cllr West agreed with the vision of addressing problems within all roads but pointed out the council has to ‘work within what’s financially available’.
The £10m, which will be achieved through borrowing, is expected to result in an additional recurrent pressure of £688,000 on council budgets.
This comes at a time when the council is already having to identify savings and take money from its reserves to address an overspend in the delivery of services.