Councils across Wales to receive share of £30m for vital road improvements

Local Authorities across Wales are to receive a share of £30 million to help improve the state of roads in their areas.

The investment for local roads, which was announced by Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services Alun Davies, aims to help address problem areas and prevent deterioration of the network.

The £30m is a one-off investment that will be based on an established highway allocation formula. It was originally announced as part of the final Budget 2018-19, which set out a series of new revenue allocations for Wales as a result of funding consequentials received from the UK Autumn Budget.

Alun Davies said: “In my discussions with local government since taking up post, they have been clear with me about the pressures on the road network, and how in some parts of Wales, the state of local roads is simply not up to a safe standard.

“I am really pleased to be able to make this funding available to support a comprehensive refurbishment programme and improve future resilience of the local authority roads network.”

Details of how big a share of the funding local councils will receive has yet to be confirmed.

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Any additional funding into our roads infrastructure is, of course, welcome, but we will need to await further criteria and guidance from the Welsh Government before the funding could be earmarked for particular roads or any planned programme of investment.”