The Labour Government is giving Devon £84,640,000 to fix the potholes plaguing the county’s roads. On National Pothole Day, I welcome this investment after 14 long years of Tory neglect.
Under the Conservatives the state of our roads spiralled out of control, with pothole damage costing drivers almost £500 million. This Labour Government is doing things differently, delivering its Plan for Change and investing more than £80million in Devon alone, as part of a record £1.6billion across England for 2025/26.
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 seven million extra potholes nationally in 2025/26. Fixing our roads and filling potholes not only makes roads safer, but also improves journey times and saves drivers money from avoidable repairs.
The big increase in funding given to Devon County Council should be transformative. But I will be holding DCC to account – Exeter has to get its fair share of the funding to make sure journeys in our city are made safer, quicker and cheaper for drivers, and safer for cyclists and people crossing roads too.
It comes as figures from the RAC show drivers in Devon the cost of pothole damage to vehicles is around £500 on average a year, with more severe repairs costing considerably more. Car insurance also went up by more than £200 on average in just two years. According to the AA, fixing potholes is a priority for 96 per cent of drivers.
To further protect motorists given continued cost-of-living pressures and potential fuel price volatility amid global uncertainty, Labour froze fuel duty at current levels for another year at the last budget, saving the average car driver £59.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “Potholes have plagued motorists for far too long, but this record investment will start to reverse a decade of decline on our country’s roads. Too many drivers have to endure an obstacle course when on the roads – whether that’s to go to work, pick up children from school, or see friends. Potholes damage cars and make pedestrians and cyclists less safe. We are investing £1.6bn to fix up to seven million more potholes next year. This government is firmly on the side of drivers. Every area of England will get extra cash to tackle this problem once and for all. We have gone beyond our manifesto commitment to back motorists and help raise living standards in every part of the country.”
To help make sure our roads get fixed faster, you can report potholes through a dedicated Gov.uk page: https://www.gov.uk/report-pothole
