7,000 more potholes to be fixed on Milton Keynes roads

MK Council is to spend an extra £250,000 to fix thousands more potholes on roads all over MK.

The outlay is set to be agreed at next month's annual budget meeting by Labour and Lib Dem councillors, who run the council as the Progressive Alliance.

It will pay for 7,000 more potholes to be filled, and the work will start as soon as next month.

A spokesman for the Progressive Alliance said: "Very wet conditions over the autumn months and cold spells in January and February mean that

early in the new year usually sees an increase in potholes and the need for more repairs.

"While urgent repairs are carried out over the winter months, the majority of general repairs take place beginning at the end of February and into the spring as weather conditions improve."

It is also proposed that £50,000 of that funding be brought forward for use in February and March.

The councillors say Milton Keynes has recently been highlighted in several independent reports as having some of the best maintained roads in England and the extra funding will look to keep those high standards.

Cllr Lauren Townsend, Cabinet Member for Highways said: “I’m pleased that as part of our budget we will be proposing funding that will be enough to fix

around 7,000 extra potholes.”

She added: “Every year around this time we see a peak in the number of potholes due to autumn rain and the frost in the early new year while standard repairs slow due to the cold winter months. The extra funding, and bringing some of that forward, will mean as soon as the weather improves we will be

out fixing thousands of potholes.

“Fixing as many potholes as we can, making repairs last longer and getting value for money are our priorities and they are reflected in the budget and these proposals that all councillors will vote on in February.”