Pot of money for pothole repairs to please new car owners?
Posted by Sebastian Turkenburg
Motorists may be relieved to have received a shred of good news in the latest Budget, with the chancellor pledging £100 million to repair winter-damaged roads.
While bad news was announced in the plans for a hike in petrol prices, Alistair Darling might have pleased new car owners by promising damaged roads will be mended.
With potholes increasing in number and severity over the winter months, new car buyers may have been concerned about the effect of the road hazards on their gleaming new vehicles.
The chancellor has said local authorities will receive the cash to improve roads, which could mean potholes are tackled in a more timely manner.
Commenting on the announcement, founder of campaign group potholes.co.uk Duncan McClure Fisher told the Telegraph: "Whilst it's nowhere near the estimate £10 billion needed to repair the network properly, it should help fill over a million potholes under the patch and mend policy councils are forced to adopt."
However, as well as the £100 million pledge, the chancellor told the Highways Agency it must make savings of £90 million by 2013.