Herefordshire to spend £2.5m on fixing potholes

The state of the county's roads was one of the main issues in May's local elections, LDRS said

Herefordshire is set to spend more than £2.5m of government cash this autumn to fix the worst of its potholes.

The state of Herefordshire's roads was one of the main issues in the county during May's local elections period.

Members of Herefordshire Council have welcomed the investment but some say the funding falls short.

"This is a drop in the ocean compared to what's needed," said Terry James, a Liberal Democrat member.

At a council meeting last Friday, Ellie Chowns, leader of the Greens group, said: "One of the things that makes running a council challenging is the lack of a multi-year finance settlement from central government - for which pots of money here and there to patch up potholes are no substitute."

Councils across England have been struggling to stay on top of pothole repairs this year.

Council leader Jonathan Lester, Conservative, said "we recognise that this is not enough to repair every road surface in the county", but added the government had given the authority £63m for roads maintenance since 2019, and he would "continue to press" for investment.

Mr Lester added the council's public realm partner Balfour Beatty were "best placed" to carry out this year's repairs, although Mr James challenged the comment, citing concerns over value for money.

The Prime Minister has promised to tackle potholes, partly via more fines and inspections for repair firms.