Wakefield Council asked to invest £13m to improve district's road network

More than 130 improvement projects have been identified across all 21 council wards.

The council’s road work programme is designed to maintain and improve the highway network.

A report to cabinet members states that the local authority is responsible for maintaining 1,454km of roads, 1,944km of footpaths and 150km of cycle lanes.

Senior councillors are being asked to agree to a recommendation to accept £8.7m of West Yorkshire Combined Authority funding and spend a further £4.6m of its own funds to complete the projects.

A document outlines how the money will be spent, with work planned for roads, footpaths, bridges, drainage infrastructure and traffic signals.

A report to cabinet members states: “Recent performance figures for road condition show a comparatively high standard when compared regionally and nationally, however, the funding secured is still resulting in a ‘managed decline’ position given the increases in inflation and resources costs.”

The report adds: “An inadequately maintained network can present a danger to highway users, create congestion and pollution through unplanned road works, cause a detrimental impact on the local economy, and lead to an increase in ‘third party’ claims against the council for vehicle damage and personal injury.”

For the first time in 2023, the council has used a new artificial intelligence system to identify and record highway defects and failures.

Last year, the council narrowly missed some of its own pothole targets following delays in starting some road repairs.

A council report in March 2022 detailing the state of the district’s highways blamed supply and delivery issues for the shortcomings.

The problems largely affected smaller residential streets, which make up a far bigger proportion of the road network than A and B roads.

In 2018, the council set itself a target of having just 12 per cent of these types of roads needing maintenance by 2021 and 10 per cent by 2022.

However, the report said that 13 per cent were currently requiring repairs.

The council was also missing its target for A road maintenance, with around two per cent of these needing fixes against a one per cent target.

Funding for roads and transport in the region has shifted from national government to the West Yorkshire City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS).

This follows the election of the first West Yorkshire metro Mayor, Tracey Brabin.

The process is still ongoing, but Wakefield Council has been advised they will receive £8.7 million to spend from April 2023 to April 2024.

Cabinet members will consider the report at a meeting on Tuesday April 25.