The condition of East Sussex roads looks set to be boosted by £15.7-million of new money being spent on highways improvements.
The funding proposal will be considered by the ruling Conservative Cabinet who meet at County Hall next week (Tuesday 27 June). If agreed, it will bring the council’s spending on highways this year to nearly £34m.
“The money will ensure that our roads are improved and will be protected for years to come”, says Cllr Claire Dowling, the lead member for highways across East Sussex.
“Last winter was one of the wettest in recent years, devastating for roads across the country”, adds Cllr Dowling. “Cabinet requested detailed modelling of how extra investment in the highway network could be most effective.”
At their meeting (on Tuesday June 27), cabinet members will be asked to agree the additional spending of £5.6 million from reserves to pay for extra patching and drainage work, and to increase the capital programme by £5.1 million, funded through borrowing.
Cabinet will also be asked to agree a further £5 million for the capital programme,) to help with early improvements to make the road network more resilient. This would then go to Full Council in July for ratification.
The report suggests that if the capital programme could be increased by £5.1m each year for the next 10 years and, on top of that, by an extra £5m in both 2023-24 and 2024-25, this combined investment would significantly reduce the proportion of roads in East Sussex needing repair.
Decisions on future investment will be made during the council’s normal budget setting process, starting in the autumn.
Extra investment has already been made in the county’s highways after this was made a priority area. An additional £8.9m was invested in 2022-23, increasing the annual capital programme by £3.1m, for 10 years and £5.8m which boosted the council’s patching programme. This led to an additional 730 sections of the road network being treated, funded 280 additional works to pavements, and repaired and maintained road markings, road signs and signposts across the county.
Meanwhile, East Sussex County continues to lobby central Government for better and longer-term funding for road maintenance.
To view the report to Cabinet and to watch the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, 27th June click HERE
