MPA welcomes roads funding

The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has welcomed the government’s £168 million funding from a dedicated Pothole Repair Fund.

The money will be used by councils across England to repair potholes or to ensure that they do not appear in the first place.

Nigel Jackson, chief executive MPA, said: “This significant road investment has been long awaited and is much needed. Money spent on repairing damage never goes as far as money invested in planned, preventative maintenance. It costs at least 20 times more per square metre to fill a pothole than it does to resurface a road. We are particularly glad to note that the Department for Transport is helping out not only those that choose to fill potholes, but those that are more proactive in preventing them forming.”

The funding allocations followed a competition in which a total of 148 authorities applied for a share of the £168 million (all will receive a share). Overall, Government has committed to investing in roads with more than £24 billion to be spent on upgrading and improving the English network until 2021.

The Mineral Products Association (MPA) is the trade association for the aggregates, asphalt, cement, concrete, dimension stone, lime, mortar and silica sand industries.