£10.7m boost to North West pothole battle

Councils across the North West are set to receive a £10.7m emergency payment from the Government to deal with road repairs, following the wettest winter on record.

The payout is the region's share of a £183.5m pot allocated by the Department for Transport to deal with the damage caused by the severe weather of recent months.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer also announced in last week's Budget that another £200m will be provided for pothole repairs over the financial years 2014-16.

From the current allocation, Greater Manchester will receive £3.3m, Cumbria will receive £3m, Lancashire will receive £2.3m. Merseyside will receive £1.5m. Cheshire East is due to receive £1.2m while Cheshire West & Chester will receive £856,911.

Cllr David Topping, Cheshire East Council Cabinet member in charge of environment, said: "This is welcome news that will give us extra resources to commit to tackling potholes and improving our roads.

"Cheshire East continues to invest in its highways and had already set aside around £1.5m to ensure that the network is kept in a safe and serviceable condition through the year for our residents and visitors.

"The Chancellor's announcement that all councils will share in a £200m boost to the money available for pothole repairs is more great news for road users and this Council. However, at this time, Cheshire East has not been informed about its share."