Extra cash for Cambridgeshire’s pot holes not enough as council says highways are priority

An extra £3.6m has been given to help tackle pot holes littering the county’s roads – but council chiefs are warning it’s not enough.

Cambridgeshire County Council has welcomed an additional £3.6m to repair potholes on its roads, on top of £8.3m already expected and planned for but warned that it won’t be enough to keep pace with either inflation, or decades of highway decline.

After members outlined initiatives to try to get ahead of road maintenance problems - including the use of artificial intelligence technology to survey roads and identify minor issues before they develop into highway faults, the council agreed a full scrutiny of planned improvements should be looked at by its highways and transport committee in July.

Councillor Lucy Nethsingha, council leader, said: “The public is not interested in who is to blame, they are just interested in who is going to fix the problem.

“We know it is one of the biggest concerns for people in Cambridgeshire currently, and solving it is not going to be easy. We have a tight budget, where we are already needing to take into account increased demands on social care and massive inflation on highways materials. The additional money while welcome is only a drop in the ocean.

“Finding and delivering a solution will need combined work from all councillors across the whole council, as well as an improved focus from our highways teams on monitoring the work of our contractors.”

Councillor Alex Beckett, chair of highways and transport committee, also pointed out that without skilled people to carry out the work even additional resources wouldn’t help – and confirmed the council was investing in apprenticeships to mitigate this issue.

In an amended motion agreed by full council this week, members recognised that the poor condition of the county’s roads is plain to see and had local people clamouring for further and faster work.

It confirmed highways maintenance is a top priority of the council, and that it was right and appropriate that Frank Jordan, the newly appointed executive director of place and sustainability should lead on the work.

To see the full debate, watch the recording of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Full Council meeting by visiting the council’s Youtube channel.