Extra £240,000 to repair Sandwell potholes
Council bosses are set to spend more than £500,000 in Sandwell to tackle potholes after the borough’s roads were ‘hammered’ by winter weather.
Sandwell Council’s cabinet has earmarked an extra £240,000 for pothole spending from its reserves – which will bolster £310,000 worth of Government funding.
The borough saw around three times more gritting this winter than in recent years, according to a cabinet report.
As a result chiefs have decided to spend £240,000 from capital reserves to improve the condition.
This will top up Government cash which has already been allocated to the authority.
Council leader Steve Eling said: “The roads have taken such a hammering this winter – with four or five freezes then thaws.
"That is what does the damage and it has affected the roads in the borough.
"We are going to allocate an extra £240,000 of council money to help out with road repairs.
"That is rainy day money from our reserves, and would normally be money we don't touch.
"But this year we have seen exceptional damage so we need to dip into that money.
"I think our highways officers did really well at patching up potholes as they occurred, now we need to do a proper job of repairing them."
A cabinet report says: "To meet [the council's] duty the repair of winter damage is a priority each spring.
"This year the winter has been severe with around three times the number of winter gritting operations required compared to recent years.
"It is proposed that the council provides £240,000 from capital reserves to top up anticipated Department for Transport pothole approvals and supplement budgets for the immediate commencement of pothole repairs and the repair of winter damage to the highway network."
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling last month revealed Sandwell would get £310,000 of Government cash as part of a £3 million pothole handout to councils across the Black Country and Staffordshire.
Mr Grayling said: “We have seen an unusually prolonged spell of freezing weather which has caused damage to our local roads.
“We are giving councils even more funding to help repair their roads so all road users can enjoy their journeys without having to dodge potholes.”
