'˜This £2m for potholes is not enough at all'

A £2m government grant to repair potholes in Wakefield won't be enough to solve the 'crumbling roads crisis', the district's transport chief has said.
Potholes on North Avenue, Wakefield.Potholes on North Avenue, Wakefield.
Potholes on North Avenue, Wakefield.

Councillor Matthew Morley said the authority was grateful for the cash, which was Wakefield’s share of a £420m national pot announced in the recent Budget.

But he added that one-off packages from the chancellor was not a long-term answer to the problem.

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Figures revealed this week showed that potholes and road maintenance was the most common cause of complaint to Wakefield Council, with 191 made between April 2017 and March 2018.

Speaking at a full council meeting last Wednesday, Coun Morley said: “That money is in the bank and we thank the government for the money. It will be used.

“But it is not a solution to the crumbling roads crisis which is hitting our country.

“One-off grants will not solve these problems and we need a proper sustainable funding stream so we can repair the roads around the country.”

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South Elmsall and South Kirkby councillor Steve Tulley told the meeting that the condition of roads was being made worse by unclean gullies and drains.

The complaints report published this week showed that more than 50 complaints were made about blocked gullies in the district over a 12 month period.

Coun Tulley said: “I accept it’s about budgets, but I think this is something we need to build into our programme.

“Walking around my ward, I can’t remember the last time I saw a gully clean.

They’re not done as regularly as they used to be.

“It’s doing some damage that probably wouldn’t be done if the gullies were clean and being run as they should.”