Why we are investing £144M in improving Leicestershire's roads

A jolt, a swerve, that familiar thud and then, too often, a bill you weren't expecting.

Hitting a pothole costs the average driver hundreds of pounds in vehicle repairs.

At a time where household budgets are already under pressure, that's money people shouldn’t have to spend.

But this government is serious about easing the cost of living, and fixing our roads is one of the most direct ways we can do that.

Every pothole we prevent is money back in people's pockets.

That's why we've committed a record £144M over the next four years for local road maintenance in Leicestershire, showing we are finally providing the kind of long-term, certain funding that councils have been crying out for.

It’s all part of our record £7.3 billion commitment nationwide to ensure that for first time local highways authorities can plan properly, invest in preventative maintenance, and move away from the cycle of patch and repeat that has plagued our roads for so long.

As part of that, we've introduced a new traffic light rating system which grades every local highway authority in England on road condition, how they're spending their funding, and whether they're following best practice.

Leicestershire has been rated red, and I want to be straightforward with residents about what that means, and what we're doing about it.

A red rating means a council needs to make improvements in how effectively they are repairs your roads.

So as well as record funding, we are providing more support.

Every red-rated council, including Leicestershire, is receiving dedicated expert support, practical advice, and help raising standards so that residents start to see a real and visible improvement on the roads they use every single day.

We're also linking future funding to performance so taxpayers can be confident their money is going where it should.

So for Leicestershire and councils across England, pothole funding is ‘use it or lose it’.

Every penny this government is providing Leicestershire must be spent by the council on delivering better roads.

If it’s not, councils could lose up to a third of their annual funding, and see it redistributed to those who do.

This is the best way to make sure you see the difference on your roads.

Fixing Britain's roads isn't glamorous work. It won't make the headlines every day.

But it matters enormously to the people who drive to work, take their children to school, or run a business that depends on reliable routes.

I was reminded of that this week, visiting Melton Mowbray to open Pork Pie Way - a new road that will ease congestion, cut pollution and unlock thousands of new homes and jobs for the town.

This is a town with a proud reputation for doing things properly, for getting the foundations right and building something that lasts.

That's exactly the standard we want to apply to every road in the country.

The neglect of the past ends here. Residents in Leicestershire - and across England - deserve smoother, safer roads, and this government is determined to deliver them.