Warnings of deteriorating Hampshire roads with many improvements shelved
WARNINGS have been raised over the plight of the county’s roads amid a lack of funding from central government.
Hampshire County Council says overstretched maintenance services will struggle to pay for much needed repairs next year with many planned improvement works set to be shelved as a result.
The total county funding for highways maintenance over the next year is £39m - a huge reduction of 24 per cent.
Councillor Rob Humby, deputy leader said: ‘Looking after Hampshire’s network of over 5,500 miles of road is one of our top priorities but over the years national funding for local road repairs has fallen to the point where the funding gap is now around £3m-£5m each year and much of the local network, particularly in rural areas, is in a state of decline.’
The councillor went on to say it had launched its Operation Resilience programme to provide additional funding to improve the worst affected roads. But despite the move, it had been diminished by the impact of Covid.
Cllr Humby continued: ‘It is imperative the government provides adequate investment to help us slow down the decline of the local road network.
‘We are not alone – county councils across the country have seen a significant drop in highways funding and are collectively calling on the government to increase vital funding for local roads.’
The county council invests an additional £10m each year in Operation Resilience, and for this financial year an additional £3m of investment has been agreed to ensure more improvements can be made.