The condition of East Sussex roads looks set to be boosted by £15.7-million of new money being spent on highways improvements as the green light is given for extra investment in our county’s roads.
The funding proposal was approved by the ruling Conservative Cabinet who met at County Hall today (Tuesday 27 June). Now agreed, it will bring the council’s spending on highways this year to nearly £34m. Everyone who spoke at the meeting was in full support of the move and extra spending on the county's arteries.
The decision follows months of detailed modelling of how extra investment could be most effective as more extreme weather is causing roads across England to deteriorate faster.
“The money will ensure that our roads are improved and will be protected for years to come”, says Cllr Claire Dowling, the lead member for highways across East Sussex.
“Last winter was one of the wettest in recent years, devastating for roads across the country”, adds Cllr Dowling. “Cabinet requested detailed modelling of how extra investment in the highway network could be most effective.”
At their meeting today (Tuesday June 27), cabinet members agreed the additional spending of £5.6 million from reserves to pay for extra patching and drainage work, and to increase the capital programme by £5.1 million, funded through borrowing.
Cabinet also agreed a further £5 million for the capital programme, to help with early improvements to make the road network more resilient. This decision now goest to Full Council on 18th of July for ratification.
This money can be spent on essential road repairs because, unlike most Lib Dem, Green & Labour-run authorities, Conservative-run East Sussex has finances in sufficiently good shape to deliver because it approaches local government spending from a principles and evidence based perspective.
Extra investment has already been made in the county’s highways after this was made a priority area.
An additional £8.9m was invested in 2022-23, increasing the annual capital programme by £3.1m, for 10 years and £5.8m which boosted the council’s patching programme. This led to an additional 730 sections of the road network being treated, funded 280 additional works to pavements, and repaired and maintained road markings, road signs and signposts across the county.
