MORE THAN 5,000 roadworks are undertaken on Wokingham borough roads every year – with utility companies responsible for 75% of them.
These repairs help weaken roads, causing to defects to appear, while the recent cold and wet weather will cause more problems according to Cllr Paul Fishwick, the executive member for active travel, transport and highways.
He called on Westminster to do more to help fund councils so road maintenance can be carried out.
“We need investment from government now, and very quickly,” he said.
He was responding to a question from Cllr Alison Swaddle (Con, Coronation) who wanted to know how the council would maintain the current level of road maintenance if there was no increased provision in the budget for the financial year ahead.
“We set aside £11 million for road repairs and a special pothole fund,” she said of her administration, which lost power in May. “In the coming budget year, it looks as though you’re going to cut funding for pothole maintenance in real terms.
“With inflation at 10%, surely this is going to have to mean cuts. After the harsh, cold winter that we are experiencing, roads are going to need more maintenance, not less,” she said, adding that residents of Ravensbourne Drive in Woodley were unhappy that parts of the road was resurfaced, and they weren’t happy with the quality of the work.
“What hope can you offer our residents that we will be able to offer them proper maintenance of their roads going forward?” she asked.
Cllr Fishwick said: “There’s over £12.6 billion worth of backlog of highway maintenance across England and Wales. That funding needs to come from government. They have underinvested in local highway roads for a long, long time.
“Without that funding, our roads will continue to deteriorate.”
