FOI Shows £5m Hole In Road Maintenance Budget

LEEDS motorists face a bumpy ride this winter as the city council cuts spending on road maintenance.

A Freedom of Information request by vehicle glass repair firm Autoglass has shown the council is spending £5m less on its road maintenance budget in 2011.

"Many drivers would be prepared to countenance cuts in other budgets if the money was then earmarked to fix the nation’s roads.”

Matthew Mycock, Autoglass managing director, said: “Cuts in the road maintenance programme will inevitably mean potholes go unfilled and cracks are left unrepaired.

“Every day, we hear from our customers that travelling around parts of Britain is becoming a nightmare because of the state of the roads and this is not likely to improve in the foreseeable future.” 

The FOI is a cunning way to get Autoglass a bit of free press, of course, but credit for doing it in an interesting way. The £5m cut in road maintenance is an issue and one that will affect most motorists.

Of the 18 authorities which responded tot he FOI, nine reported cuts, six said they had no plans to reduce road maintenance spending and only three – Birmingham, Hampshire Cambridgeshire – reported increased spending. 

Mycock said: “The state of the UK’s transport network is a huge issue and and many drivers would be prepared to countenance cuts in other budgets if the money was then earmarked to fix the nation’s roads.”