One of the issues that is raised most often by you across our constituency, are potholes and the state of our roads. These things are at best a nuisance and at worst a real health and safety risk for road-users across Cornwall.
When I receive a complaint about a pothole or road fault I report it to Cormac, who act on behalf of Cornwall Council to repair highway issues. I have achieved some success with this process across St Austell and Newquay, the most recent being considerable repairs to the A3058 at Summercourt. However, due to the volume of traffic using our roads and the current weather patterns, there are always more appearing and it costs a lot of money to fix them and stay on top of the situation.
I was pleased then, to see the Government at the beginning of April provide funding of £50 million dedicated to fill millions of potholes across the UK. This includes £1,267,000 to fill an estimated 24,000 potholes in Cornwall. It is thought around 8,431,000 potholes will be repaired across the South West – the largest amount given to any region in England.
This significant funding has been made available as part of the Government’s £250 million Pothole Action Fund included in last month’s budget, which will see over four million potholes fixed by 2020/21 and is part of the Government’s plan to invest in infrastructure to secure a better future for our economy.
This new funding is welcome news for families and businesses in Mid-Cornwall who rely on our roads to get around. I have been campaigning for a long time for greater investment in road repairs and I’m encouraging the council to make full use of their allocation.
I am glad that the Government is investing both nationally and locally to improve the standard of our roads. It shows that we are delivering on our commitment to invest in infrastructure to attract businesses and secure Britain’s future.
I have previously used the real-time pot hole reporting app available at www.streetrepairs.co.uk to report faults direct as this is a quick and easy way to help Cornwall Council deal with them as soon as possible. I would encourage all residents to do the same when they come across such issues.
My team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and seek to make a real difference to the lives of everyone who needs help and support in any way. If there is any issue that we can help you with then please contact us on either 01726 829379 or on office@stevedouble.org.uk.
