South west London is just one area of the UK where roads are being affected more and more by the problem of potholes, a new survey indicates.
The Local Authority Road Maintenance Survey revealed that 17% of roads were in poor condition.
Local authorities across England and Wales have said that one road in six is in such poor condition it will require fixing within the next five years.
Merton Council cabinet member for finance councillor Mark Allison said: “Funding coming from government for road repairs is nowhere near enough to sustain the level of repairs that will continue to be necessary to keep the road network in good condition.
“However, according to the report, the proportion of roads in Merton considered in a poor condition is less than both the London and UK average.
“This is down to our robust road maintenance programme which we review annually, so we can be confident that we are carrying out works where they are most needed.”
Last year, the government announced £1.1 billion for road repairs for 2017/18.
This was increased to £1.2 billion in January to include money from the National Productivity Investment Fund and the Pothole Action Fund.
It is estimated that local authorities require on average £6.6 million to return roads to a good standard, £1.2million more than the same survey reported in 2016.
Lambeth Council say that the £2.7million shortfall in yearly funding will eventually show if funding is not drastically increased.
A Lambeth Council spokesman said: “Local Authority finances everywhere are under severe pressure after years of cuts to government funding.
“This is a nationwide issue that needs proper funding from central government to tackle the backlog and get local roads up to scratch.
“We have resurfaced nearly 200 roads in the borough over the last three years, investing tens of millions of pounds.
“We also patch and repair potholes regularly, and use the resources we do have to target the busiest roads that affect the most drivers, but proper road resurfacing needs substantial investment that local councils simply will not have going forward.”
Featured image courtesy of Andrew Skudder, with thanks
