At Full Council on Tuesday 13th May the Chancellor of Essex presented a balanced budget which included an additional £12 million to be invested in highways repairs.
This much needed additional highways funding will be invested in various areas including over £8 million for extra crews who will prioritise repairs raised by local councillors across the county.
The funding will also bolster the Local Highways Panels by £2 million, funding schemes supported by councillors including speed calming measures.
In addition to this, there will be extra funding for enforcement, to put pressure on private landowners to cut back overgrown vegetation on roads and footways which is often dangerous for pedestrians and road users.
Councillor Tom Cunningham, Cabinet Member for Highways welcomed the news of additional funding for Highways, he said: “Essex Conservative are pleased to announce extra investment in our highways. This funding means on top of routine maintenance and priority repairs, we can bring forward additional work, including re-surfacing roads. This funding is part of an ongoing commitment from Essex Conservatives to improve our highways, last year an additional £17.5 million was committed which meant that nearly double the number of potholes were repaired across Essex last year compared to the previous year.”
Highways is the most visible work of the County Council and Essex Conservatives have listened to local people and ensured our roads and pavements has the much-needed investment they need.
The County Council also provides vital services which are funded through their £2 billion budget including adult and children’s social care, public health, education, libraries, youth services and infrastructure. As well as working to improve the environment and enhance the local economy. In addition to this the council’s more than £2 billion budget will be spent on services across four priority areas.
During the budget debate, Councillor Kevin Bentley, Leader of the Council, said: “We will always put people first. We have shown this as an administration time and again by protecting essential services and through our continued investment in areas such as the county’s infrastructure, our outstanding children’s services and our work to Level Up opportunities and reduce inequalities.”
Councillor Chris Whitbread, Chancellor of Essex, highlighted that Essex is one of the highest performing councils in the country and continue to invest in new services where many other authorities are having to reduce their spending. He also stressed the continued pressures particularly in children and adult social care which accounts for 60% of the council’s budget. This pressure is coupled with rising costs and increasing demand on services, which led to the difficult decision to increase council tax had to be made for this financial year, to ensure the council finances have strong foundations for the future.
