Extra cash for pothole repairs

More cash will be spent on pothole repairs across Devon if councillors back a new budget on Thursday.

An extra £600,000 will be added to the county council's roads budget under the new plan.

Devon's Cabinet met today to sign off the authority's proposed budget for 2021/22 and it will be finally approved at the full council meeting on February 18.

Big spending increases for under-pressure areas like children's services and adult health and care have already been given the green light.

But council officials have been waiting for a number of last-minute figures to be confirmed.

Today council leader John Hart confirmed he was proposing the extra cash for potholes and drainage.

He said: "Over the past couple of months, I've met with parish and town councils across Devon as well as representatives from business, the voluntary sector, the trades unions and older people to consult on the budget.

"Our scrutiny committees have also made recommendations on spending they would like to see.

"My job is to balance all these spending pressures against what it is reasonable to ask people to contribute in council tax.

"Keeping our roads in a decent state of repair is a never-ending job and there is never enough money to complete the job.

"But it's vital for all our residents and it's vital for our businesses. I hope that this extra cash - if it's approved by the council - will help us meet people's expectations."

In 2020, the county council repaired nearly 60,000 potholes with an average repair time of 6.2 working days.