Surrey Conservatives have launched a petition calling for a change in the national roads funding formula which if successful would mean more funding for resurfacing and fixing local potholes.
County Councillor Rebecca Paul, Deputy Cabinet Member for Levelling-up Surrey, argues that the existing rules disadvantages Surrey and other high-traffic counties.
Her petition aims to secure a debate in Parliament about reforming the roads funding formula, and has the support of Weybridge County Councillor (and Surrey CC Leader) Tim Oliver and our MP, Dr Ben Spencer.
Cllr Paul said: “Increased pressure on local government funding has made it more challenging for local authorities to maintain the highway network to the high standard our residents deserve.
“Road maintenance is a bugbear of our residents who regularly write to me and other County Councillors about potholes, uneven pavements and cracked road surfaces. If the current funding formula were addressed we could better fix these issues, so the message to our MPs is that it’s time to ‘level-up’ Surrey’s roads.
"I encourage you to sign and share our petition.”
The current roads funding formula is calculated on the length of road and does not take account of traffic volume. This means that Surrey, which is more than three times busier than most counties, receives insufficient funding to cope with the additional wear and tear we experience.
In 2018/19 an average 5% of Surrey roads were found to be in ‘poor’ and early intervention/timely maintenance is essential to maximise road life spans and deliver value for money.
Please sign and share our petition and help us secure a debate in Parliament on this important issue.
