As a condition of receiving the money local authorities are required to publish monthly progress updates on how many potholes have been repaired.
More than three million potholes will be filled as a result of this funding.
Details of 2014 funding allocations for individual local authorities are available for download plus in interactive map format.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “Potholes are the bane of all our lives and the funding announced today is an important step in ridding our roads of this menace. But it is only one part of a massive programme of investment to get our country up to speed as part of this government’s long term economic plan. By building, repairing and renewing our key infrastructure we will ensure the future growth and prosperity of this country.”
Today’s announcement follows a competition in which councils were invited to apply for a share of the £168m, which includes £10m being available for London.
In total, 148 authorities applied for funding and all will receive a share. A greater share is being provided to a number of model authorities who were able to demonstrate best practice in highways maintenance. These councils have invested in new technology and initiatives. They have brought in specialist machinery or set up dedicated crews, to help fix potholes or prevent them from appearing in the first place.
Those authorities who have demonstrated good practice include:
- Northamptonshire – which has set up systems to track pothole repairs in real time, allowing it to co-ordinate work more effectively and make sure teams are deployed efficiently
- Hampshire – which has extra pothole fixing equipment in place to make effective and speedy repairs. This equipment can also be converted to salt icy roads in winter
- Lancashire – which has done work forging links with other highways authorities, suppliers and contractors to allow it to tackle potholes more effectively and improve its wider programme of highways maintenance.
All repair works have to be completed by end March 2015. Councils will need to publish quarterly updates so that local residents can see how many potholes or miles or resurfacing has been undertaken in their area.
This funding is on top of the extra £185m the government made available in March to help repair local roads damaged by severe weather.
