Most councils have roads budget cut

26/10/11

By Kev Kiernan

Road maintenance budgets at most local authorities have been cut, despite the recent harsh winters, the RAC has revealed.

The motoring group's survey of 20 councils in the UK shows that 80 per cent have seen a real-terms funding reduction in money for fixing up roads.

However, 55 per cent have seen an outright cut to their road maintenance and 25 per cent said their funding level stayed the same, although taking rising inflation into account also means a budget cut in the real world, RAC pointed out.

The survey shows more local authorities focusing on long-term repairs compared with six months ago.

One in five councils are however having to prioritise urgent repairs purely out of safety concerns for road users.

According to the survey, 80 per cent of councils say they are prepared for another severe winter, although just 50 per cent have enough salt and grit.

The RAC's John Franklin said: "While councils are doing the best they can with the resources available, the fact is that reduced budgets can only stretch so far and councils are being forced to make very difficult decisions."