Is pothole cash going to be enough? (From Brentwood Weekly News)
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Is pothole cash going to be enough?
8:00am Friday 14th September 2012 in Local news
CONCERNS have been raised over whether money from Essex County Council will help get enough potholes fixed in Brentwood.
Figures from the authority show nearly £1.5million has been splashed out in the last three financial years to fix potholes on the streets of the borough.
On top of this a new funding stream worth £11million has been made available to the county council to spend on repairing cracks and holes on roads across Essex.
This cash was freed up by the council to help clear a backlog of potholes around the county over the next year.
However, fears have been raised by Brentwood Council’s Lib Dem group who think more is still needed to get the reapirs desparately needed for the borough.
David Kendall, leader of the group, said he was surprised to hear how much had been spent on roads in Brentwood.
Mr Kendall, who is also a county councillor, said: “If you look around Brentwood, the place is absolutely littered with potholes, some of which have been waiting for repairs for a year now.
“It is all very well of the county council to say there’s £11million to spend on fixing potholes in Essex, but when you think about how big the county is it makes you wonder how much cover the money will give.
“Potholes are an ongoing problem as well but there appears to be no plan as to what will happen after the £11million is gone which is another concern to add.”
The county council said making sure the roads are properly treated is one of its “top priorities” and it is “determined” to fix as many holes as possible.
A spokesman for the council said: “Excellent progress is already being made, with over 11,000 potholes being repaired since the beginning of July.
“Work will also be taking place to strengthen our road network.
“We understand how frustrating potholes can be, which is why we are determined to fix as many as possible and ensure that they don’t return in future.”
