'Plague of potholes': Lincolnshire Council wants £12m cut to roads budget reversed

Lincolnshire County Council has written to Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, saying it wants the £12m cut from its roads budget back.

The letter was sent in hopes of having the 25% roads maintenance grant cut from 2021/22 reversed, describing the need for its "crumbling" roads.

In the letter, Cllr Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, sets out an urgent demand for the return of the "much-needed millions."

The council has also launched a website where local people can post about their experiences on Lincolnshire's roads, with Cllr Richard Davies, saying "every single voice and every pothole story will play a role in telling Government how serious this issue is to all of us."

He added: “When the Government brings in over £25 billion a year from fuel duty alone, it’s hard to understand why we’ve had to use money from our reserves to fill the £12 million left by roads maintenance grant cuts.

“It’s crucial that we get this money back because, without it, people will see our roads get worse.”

A DfT spokesperson said:

“The Department is providing over £5 billion of investment for highways maintenance to local highways authorities across England, including Lincolnshire.

 “This is enough to fill millions of potholes a year, repair dozens of bridges, and resurface roads up and down the country.”