Leeds Has Biggest Backlog of Road Repairs
£100 million repair bill to bring all the city's roads up to scratch
The scale of Britain's poor roads problem has been revealed in a new study showing councils are facing huge backlogs of repairs. A Government announcement that local councils in England are to get nearly £6 billion to fight potholes over the next six years is not enough to tackle the problem, ministers have been warned. Freedom of Information requests showed that some face a backlog of up to £100 million to repair roads in their area. Others had thousands of potholes to repair, even before the winter set in.
Leeds was found to be the worst area in the country for it, with up to £100 million needed to fix the problem.
A spokesman for Leeds City Council said: "Recent hard winters combined with decades of underfunding have left Leeds with a significant road maintenance backlog of approximately £100m.
"Despite further funding recently being made available to tackle this problem which is welcome, it is not enough to see a dramatic turnaround in road conditions and will still mean we have to prioritise our work in the areas most in need."
Unions representing taxi drivers and council workers said the country has a "shocking" record of investment in the roads, while the AA said the poor state of roads is the main concern for motorists. The Government said before Christmas that the funding will help English local authorities tackle potholes and improve local roads between 2015 and 2021. A succession of severe winters and the devastating floods earlier this year have left councils playing catch-up with road maintenance. The FoI information obtained by the Press Association showed that some of the other areas with huge backlogs were Gloucestershire (£86 million), Oldham (£60 million), Rochdale (£58 million), Islington in London (£79 million) and Swindon (£40 million). RAC chief engineer David Bizley said funding for potholes was welcome but there were doubts whether this was "new money". "We also question whether this really goes far enough. Recent estimates by the Asphalt Industry Alliance suggest a one-off investment of £12 billion is needed in England to deal with the backlog in road maintenance, the majority of which is associated with those roads for which local authorities are responsible." Brian Strutton, national officer of the GMB union, said: "The announced money is less than half the official estimate of the investment needed to cover the backlog of road repairs, so the public should ask why the Government is not doing more. "In any event, not all councils will benefit from this announcement. The promise of future money may or may not materialise under the next government. "Meanwhile, existing potholes will crack up when this winter bites, leaving roads in an unfit and dangerous state for motorists." Peter Box, the Local Government Association's transport spokesman, said: "While helpful, this new money does not bridge the overall funding gap which is increasing year on year." Dr Adam Marshall, policy director at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "The backlog of road repairs remains huge, and more investment will be needed in the years ahead." Mick Cash, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: "Our members are repeatedly complaining to us that their vehicles are being damaged by the shocking condition of the roads. When you are a self-employed driver if your taxi or truck is damaged and you can't work it means that you can't earn either."