Hampshire's transport boss call for more funds to tackle road problems

Councillor Rob Humby, the executive member for transport at Hampshire County Council, says that more funds are needed in the county to help improve highways maintenance.

The local authority was awarded £5m from the government’s new National Productivity Investment Fund, but Councillor Humby says more investment is needed.

He said: ‘I quite agree with the call from the country’s motoring organisations on the government for more investment for local highway authorities to maintain and improve the road network.

‘It’s important that councils who are already facing considerable funding pressures are given the help they need to maintain this critical infrastructure.

‘Hampshire is one of the largest counties in England, with over 5,300 miles of road – much of it rural.

‘We estimate around 95 per cent of all journeys are made on Hampshire’s roads and footways, and with one of the largest and busiest road networks in the country, the impact this has on the highways and footways is huge.’

He added: ‘Despite funding pressures, Hampshire remains consistently the top county council in the South East in terms of public satisfaction with highways maintenance.

‘This is because we’ve worked really hard to find ways to invest in highways maintenance.

‘We’ve invested £10m to deliver long-term structural repairs and improvements.’