Stockport Council to receive additional funding to repair potholes

The Department for Transport has announced a nationwide, £168m pothole repair fund to tackle the country's potholes; a danger to both car users and pedestrians, as well as damaging to vehicles.

Stockport Council will collect £364,000 from this fund, in addition to the £286,735 it received in March as part of a Weather Repair Fund. The Council will use the money as part of its ongoing maintenance work on roads and pavements.

Potholes are a particular problem in Cheadle constituency as well as around Stockport. As a longer-term solution, local Lib Dem councillors recently introduced a £100 million plan in this year's Council budget to fix the Borough's roads and pavements for a generation. The programme is expected to last around eight years, beginning with a thorough inspection of all roads to ensure that those areas which need the work done most are prioritised and get repaired first.

Commenting on the announcement from the Department for Transport, local MP Mark Hunter said:

"This additional money is extremely welcome as it will be able to spent on some of the worst-affected roads in our local area. The extra £650,775 that Stockport has received for road maintenance this year reflects the Coalition Government's awareness that this is a real issue for many communities."