Government announce £8.3bn budget to tackle the pothole crisis

On 17th November 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that £8.3bn of ‘promised funding will be used to tackle what he called the ‘scourge of potholes’.

The allocated funding will be given to councils across England, over the next 11 years, to upgrade and maintain the country’s road network.

Whilst this much-needed funding will certainly help repair England’s crumbling road network, is it enough? Spokesperson for the Local Government Association, Darren Rodwell, commented: “Longer-term, the government should award council highway departments with five yearly funding allocations to give more certainty, bringing councils on par with National Highways, so they can develop resurfacing programmes and other highway improvements, tackling the scourge of potholes.”

With AA call-outs to pothole-related damage at an all-time high, AA president Edmund King, said: “The plan could make a considerable difference in bringing our roads back to the standards which road users expect, especially if councils use the cash efficiently.”

One such way councils can help budgets stretch further, and repair the backlog of potholes plaguing our roads, is to only use pothole repair materials that are proven to provide first time permanent repairs and UltraCrete Tough Patch® Rapid has been designed to do just that.

Tough Patch® Rapid hybrid pothole repair has been rigorously and thoroughly tested and is proven to provide a first time permanent repair, eliminating costly repeat visits to the same site and helping budgets stretch further.

Quick and easy to apply, Tough Patch® Rapid can be used to repair defects in pavements, driveways, car parks and on high speed roads – it even provides a permanent repair in wheel turning locations such as junctions, traffic lights and roundabouts.

Ready to use straight from the bag or bucket, Tough Patch® Rapid requires no special preparation and can be trafficked immediately, meaning costly traffic management can be removed swiftly, keeping costs to a minimum, and allowing contractors to move on to another project quickly, increasing productivity.

Tough Patch® Rapid is just one of the many first time permanent cold lay asphalts available from UltraCrete. Every product in their world renowned range have been independently tested by a third party, can be applied in all weathers and are available in 25kg buckets or bags.

For further information on how UltraCrete can help your road repair budgets stretch further, or for additional product information, please contact UltraCrete’s team of experts by emailing ultracrete@instarmac.co.uk or by calling 01827 254402.

Source: BBC News, MSN.com