THE Government has announced a countrywide £297m boost to fill potholes and repair roads, with East Sussex receiving £21m over the 2025/26 period.
It comes as part of a record £1.6bn Government investment across England – an increase of nearly 50% on local road maintenance funding from last year – it is enough to fix the equivalent of over seven million potholes, according to officials.
Local authorities in the South East will each receive a share of the funding, as the Government looks to rebuild Britain as part of its ‘Plan for Change’.
This comes as figures from the RAC show drivers encounter an average of six potholes per mile in England and Wales, and the cost of pothole damage to vehicles is around £500 on average, with more severe repairs costing considerably more. According to the AA, fixing potholes is a priority for 96 per cent of drivers.
The Government is today announcing how much each local authority is being allocated.
Each local authority can use its share of the £1.6bn for 2025/6 to identify which of their roads are in most need of repair and to deliver immediate fixes for communities and raise living standards across every area of the country.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Broken roads can risk lives and cost families hundreds if not thousands of pounds on repairs. That’s a cost that can easily be avoided by investing properly in our roads.
Through our Plan for Change we’re determined to put more money back into the pockets of hardworking people and improve living standards. That’s why we’re giving councils funding to repair our roads and get Britain moving again – with a clear expectation that they get on with the job.”
Bexhill is just one of a large number of towns across the county which has its problems. A recent protest organised by Councillor Christine Bayliss saw residents take to the streets to demand action by the Government.
Councillor Gerard Fox, East Sussex County Councillor for Hailsham New Town says the figures just don’t add up.
He told Hailsham News: “The Labour government have perhaps oversold what they have done for East Sussex and other authorities on highways maintenance funding.
Of the £21m headline figure for East Sussex, the ‘new money’ is about £1.9m which is caveated with the comment that DfT will withhold some of it until they see how we are spending it.
On the basis of the prior government settlement and outgoing Conservative government commitments, ESCC had budgeted to receive around £19.1m government funding for highways maintenance for 2025/26. So, it’s great news that we will receive an additional £1.9 million, but it is not quite the panacea presented in the DfT press release.”
East Sussex County Councillor for Bexhill South told Bexhill News: “The extra money to repair our broken roads is welcome news for Bexhill and wider East Sussex. As we travel poor surfaces can be felt or seen on our highways with many unfortunately experiencing damage to their vehicles.
The recent ESCC pothole review highlighted the different causes one of which is utility iron works or subsidence of trenches. Buckhurst Road is a clear example of how underground water is subjecting the base to move like a mattress cracking the top surface. To find the source of the water is difficult as it involves different contractors, once repaired the whole road needs to be patched or re-surfaced.
Recently Bolebrooke Road had a large sink hole backfilled and patched after a drainage and badger problem. The cost to repair is huge and with 5,000 roads in East Sussex we need probably about £400 million; this funding will help to repair some of the worst areas. The key to getting repairs done is to report every defect to East Sussex Highways and follow up with your local Councillor until completed.”
Road users in the South East are also being encouraged to report potholes in their area to their local council through a dedicated Gov.uk page.
