Last Thursday, I was delighted to welcome Khayla Abu Mosa as Crawley Borough’s newest councillor. I would like to extend Crawley Labour’s thanks to the residents of Northgate and West Green for this resounding show of support, a clear sign that people value the achievements of this Labour council. We will continue to work to prove ourselves worthy of your trust.
But the work goes on. So it was wonderful today to see the news that the budget will see a £500m uplift in funding to fix local roads over the next year – a boost of almost 50% on the commitment made by the previous Tory government.
This is great news for Crawley and West Sussex – potholes are a blight on Britain and a huge inconvenience for motorists. After 14 years of Tory rule our country is showing real signs of decay, but Labour was elected to fix the foundations of our country and our economy and that is exactly what we will do.
This brings the total amount dedicated to fixing the roads in England over the next year to £1.6 billion, and means Labour is set to exceed a manifesto commitment to support local authorities to fix a million more potholes a year.
It will provide more money to councils so they can not only fix existing damage but get ahead and deliver lasting road maintenance work so that potholes do not form in the first place.
With people spending up to £460 to fix car issues caused by damaged roads, the uplift will benefit millions of working people who will keep hundreds of pounds in their pockets. It will also reduce the risk of crashes and injuries, making our roads safer to cycle, walk and drive on.
The funding will be devolved to Local Authorities like West Sussex County Council from April 2025, and allocations will be announced in due course.
I’ve long thought that this additional money was sorely needed and shows proper action at long last after years of Tory neglect to bring some of our key local services up to standard.
Cllr Michael Jones
Leader, Crawley Borough Council
