Antonia Bance welcomes £3.3 million fix pothole plague in Dudley and Sandwell
Labour Mayor announces £3.3 million to fix potholes in Dudley & Sandwell, as part of £8 million investment boost across the West Midlands Combined Authority for 2025/6.
- Funding goes well beyond Labour’s manifesto pledge, helping councils fix the equivalent of 88,000 potholes next year and saving drivers hundreds of pounds in repairs.
- England’s roads have been plagued by potholes for too long, and the Government is investing to boost infrastructure as part of its Plan for Change.
Antonia Bance, Labour Member of Parliament for Tipton, Wednesbury and Coseley, has welcomed extra funding of £3.3 million to boost repairs and fix potholes in Dudley and Sandwell.
As part of the Government's plans for safer roads, Richard Parker, Labour's Mayor for the West Midlands has secured an extra £8.6 million investment to fix the region's roads.
The landmark investment – an increase of 30 per cent on local road maintenance funding from last year – goes well beyond the Government’s manifesto pledge and is enough to fix the equivalent of 88,000 extra potholes across the West Midlands in 2025/26.
Fixing our roads and filling potholes not only makes roads safer, but they also improve journey times and save drivers money from avoidable repairs.
Figures from the RAC show drivers in Dudley the cost of pothole damage to vehicles is around £500 on average a year, with more severe repairs costing considerably more. According to the AA, fixing potholes is a priority for 96 per cent of drivers.
The public is also being encouraged to report potholes in through a dedicated Gov.uk page: gov.uk/report-pothole.
Labour’s approach is in stark contrast to the Tories’. Under the last Government, damage to cars cost drivers almost £500m and car insurance went up by more than £200 on average in just two years.
To further protect motorists given continued cost-of-living pressures and potential fuel price volatility amid global uncertainty, Labour froze fuel duty at current levels for another year at the last budget, saving the average car driver £59.
This Labour Government is delivering its Plan for Change with investment and reform to deliver growth, improving living standards in Tipton Wednesbury and Coseley and across the country by putting more money in people’s pockets and rebuilding Britain.
Antonia Bance, Member of Parliament for Tipton, Wednesbury and Coseley, said: ”The impact of this funding will be transformative, with journeys in Dudley and Sandwell made safer, quicker and cheaper for drivers. This announcement goes well beyond the promises we made in our manifesto at the last election and shows the difference a Labour Mayor working with a Labour government can make."
Richard Parker, Labour Mayor of the West Midlands said: “Far too many of our roads are blighted by dangerously deep potholes, cracks and craters leaving motorists to pick up the bills for repairs and poor driving conditions. This is the result of years of under investment.
“Now with this funding I’ve secured from Government our councils can bring even more roads up to scratch and our motorists can enjoy journeys which are quicker, safer and with reduced the wear and tear on vehicles.”
