Council maintains investment in roads – with over £12m earmarked for 2024/25
Tuesday, February 06, 2024
Despite ongoing budget challenges, we are set to keep investing in the district’s roads. Over £12m will be pumped into maintaining roads, footpaths, and cycleways over the next year.
But the Cabinet Member for Planning Highways is warning that this is nowhere near enough investment to improve our roads and footways to the standards which we think is needed.
“Right now our main priority is to protect our road investment. Good financial management means we’ve been able to do this.
“We’ll use this money as effectively and efficiently as we can. Making sure there is an adequately maintained road network, that keeps all road users safe.
“But the harsh reality is that this funding will only enable us to maintain not improve our roads. To give some idea of the scale of the challenge, we’d be looking at over £70m to properly deal with this. So, prioritising how we use the investment is incredibly important so we can do the best with what we’ve got for the Wakefield district.”
Cllr Matthew Morley
Cabinet Member for Planning and Highways
A report to be discussed at Cabinet on 13 February outlines how the £12m will be spent across the district, to keep roads maintained and safe. The money will be focussed on areas most in need of work. Details of where these works will take place are set out in the programme, which councillors will be asked to approve.
The money will also support infrastructure work. This includes maintaining traffic signals, introducing road safety improvements, and maintaining lines and signs. It will also help tackle drainage issues that affect roads.
Part of the funding will be used to help promote safer walking, cycling and links to public transport.
The funding for 2024/25 is in line with last year, which saw us fill 12,747 potholes on roads and 1,028 footway potholes, as well as resurfacing 49 roads and 94 footpaths.
Funding comes from the Department for Transport and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement and Pothole Fund.
The Cabinet will be discussing the programme at their meeting on Tuesday 13th February.
The meeting will be live streamed and can be watched live or later on our website.
In the 2020 Spending Review, £4.2 billion of capital funding was confirmed (starting in April 2022) for multi-year highways and transport settlements for eight city regions around the country.
These settlements are designed to provide those regions with long-term, stable transport investment. West Yorkshire, as a Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA), is one of these eligible regions. The first five-year settlement period will cover the period 2022/2023 to 2026/2027.