Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Condition of Roads: England

Thursday 24 June 2021 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Department is investing 1.7 billion in 2021-22 for local roads in England.
  • Department is working on a common data standard to monitor road conditions more effectively.
  • Government has committed 2.5 billion through the potholes fund to address road resurfacing issues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Marco Longhi
Transport
Context

The question arises from ongoing concerns about the state and maintenance of England's road network, including issues with local road conditions.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to improve the condition of England's roads. In addition to current funding, what specific measures are being implemented to ensure better monitoring and quicker defect resolution by local authorities?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

In addition to investing £1.7 billion in '21-22 into local roads, the Department is working towards creating a common data standard for monitoring road condition, aiming to drive innovation and flexibility in monitoring local roads, enabling local authorities to target defects more quickly.

Answered
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Q2 Mark Menzies Con
Transport
Context

The question stems from ongoing road resurfacing complaints by constituents regarding the poor quality of many Fylde's road surfaces, following positive developments with the M55 link road.

Question

After securing work on the Lytham St Annes M55 link road and its commencement, can the Minister assure me that the Government are taking the resurfacing of roads seriously and not simply filling in cracks and covering potholes? What measures have been taken to address this issue?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

May I start by paying tribute to my hon. Friend for his determined campaigning over a number of years to secure the start of work on this vital road? The Government have committed £2.5 billion through the potholes fund and local highway authorities should develop a risk-based approach to asset management plans, ensuring proactive maintenance.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask for assurance that roads are being resurfaced seriously rather than merely filling cracks and covering potholes was not directly addressed with concrete commitments or measures.

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Q3 Marco Longhi
Transport
Context

The question arises from the announcement of a very light rail project in Dudley, which is expected to be a world-class innovation centre for developing and testing prototypes with minimal disruption.

Question

Does the Minister agree that it could be a game changer for public transport for the UK? Will she join me in congratulating the team on pioneering this in the west midlands?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

I am delighted to hear about more pioneering innovations in the west midlands. The Department is always interested in building on these successes and seeing them benefit other areas in the future.

Not addressed: The specific ask for agreement on the game-changing potential of very light rail was not directly addressed, instead focusing praise on existing work in Coventry and Dudley.

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