Potholes made number one priority for residents
Residents say the state of local roads is a major concern, councillor have said
- Published
Potholes are the number one priority for Lancashire residents, councillors have heard.
Speaking at a Lancashire County Council meeting, councillor Scott Cunliffe said: "Fill in the potholes, fill in the potholes. That鈥檚 all people say."
The authority met to discuss how money should be spent following savings made after the government's controversial scrapping of the northern leg of the HS2 rail project.
Councillor Scott Smith, lead member for highways and active transport, said: 鈥淚t is the top priority at every door you knock on, every resident you speak to.鈥
The Conservative added: 鈥淭hey want the potholes filled and the roads resurfaced."
Mr Cunliffe, who represents the Green Party, said: 鈥淪o if we want to listen to residents and respond to them, we鈥檙e not going to spend it on sustainable transport, which might be my preference 鈥 we鈥檙e going to go for the potholes first.鈥
Lancashire is set for two streams of redirected HS2 cash over the next decade as part of the government鈥檚 Network North programme.
New roads
The council area has been promised a 拢244.5 million boost to its highways maintenance budget between 2023 and 2033.
Authorities in Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen are also set to get an additional 拢12.7 and 拢20.4 million respectively over the same period.
Separately, Lancashire as a whole is due to receive the largest share across the north and midlands from the government鈥檚 Local Transport Fund.
The county council has been told it will be given 拢494 million between 2025 and 2032, with Blackpool getting 拢120.8 million and Blackburn receiving 拢116.9 million.
The fund is intended for major highways and transport schemes such as building new roads or upgrading railway stations, rather than repairing potholes.
Twenty-two schemes have been allocated 拢7.2 million so far from the county council鈥檚 extra highways maintenance funding but none of them are in the major conurbations of Preston, Chorley or Burnley.
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