We need to follow British lead on pothole funding

Just before Christmas Britain’s Transport secretary announced a massive £6bn fund to help tackle potholes and improve local roads over the next six years. This is the kind of planning that we should be seeing here as our economy recovers.

The investment of close to £1bn a year will target fixing an estimated 18 million potholes on local roads in Britain.

This new initiative where the British Government has given councils locked-in funding over a prolonged period of time. This will allow them to plan ahead, put an end to short term fixes, and it is expected to result in cost saving for the taxpayer.

Over £4.7bn will be shared between 115 councils, while a further £575m will be available through a new challenge fund to help repair and maintain local highway infrastructure such as junctions, bridges and street lighting.

Another good idea that should be followed is £578m has been set aside in the UK for an incentive fund scheme which will start in 2016 to reward councils who demonstrate they are delivering value for money in carrying out cost effective improvements.

 The idea is to plan greater efficiencies and deliver cost-effective, preventative maintenance, making the available money go even further.