Northumberland Labour’s Shadow Cabinet for Local Services Cllr Brian Gallacher has today welcomed news that the budget will see a £500m uplift in funding to fix local roads over the next year – a boost of almost 50% on the commitment made by the former government.

Northumberland Labour’s Shadow Cabinet for Local Services Cllr Brian Gallacher  said,

“This is great news for Northumberland – potholes are a blight on Britain and a huge inconvenience for motorists. After 14 years of Tory rule our country is showing real signs of decay, but Labour was elected to fix the foundations of our country and our economy and that is exactly what we will do.

“Wednesday’s budget will be a huge moment in getting Britain back on track. Labour will stabilise our economy, protect working people, and take forward the work of resuscitating our public services – especially our NHS.”

– Over one and a half billion pounds to fix local roads and deliver on manifesto commitment to fix a million more potholes a year is expected to be confirmed by the Chancellor.

– At her first Budget on Wednesday, Rachel Reeves is expected to announce a £500 million uplift in funding to fix local roads over the next year – an almost 50% increase on the commitment made by the previous government for the current financial year.

– This brings the total amount dedicated to fixing the roads in England over the next year to £1.6 billion, and means the government is set to exceed our manifesto commitment to support local authorities to fix a million more potholes a year.

– It will provide more money to councils so they can not only fix existing damage but get ahead and deliver lasting road maintenance work so that potholes do not form in the first place.

– With people spending up to £460 to fix car issues caused by damaged roads, the uplift will benefit millions of working people who will keep hundreds of pounds in their pockets.

– It will also reduce the risk of crashes and injuries, making our roads safer to cycle, walk and drive on.

– The funding will be devolved to Local Authorities up and down the country from April 2025, and allocations will be announced in due course.

– The funding commitment comes as part of the new Chancellor’s first budget that will protect working people, begin to fix the NHS and rebuild Britain.