Conservatives have neglected “roads across Derbyshire and let the community pay the price” say Lib Dems

Conservatives have neglected “roads across Derbyshire and let the community pay the price” say Lib Dems 

- Liberal Democrats promise £300m investment to fix roads. 

- The party will give councils more money to fix potholes by redirecting some of the road-building budget.

- Freedom of Information Requests conducted by the Lib Dems show that people across Derbyshire have waited months for potholes to be fixed in this Parliament.

The Liberal Democrats have set out new proposals to fix Derbyshire’s roads. 

The party has set out a national £300 million plan that will see investment to fix potholes over the next Parliament, which could equate to around 1.2 million potholes being filled each year.

Data reveals that in the 12 months between 2021/22 there were 90,596 potholes across Derbyshire, some being left for 28 days before having a temporary repair.  Derbyshire’s risk based approach may triage the problem in a reactive manner and does not create a preventative strategy.

The Liberal Democrats would redirect some of the money in the existing budget for new roads to local councils to ensure road maintenance and improvements are properly funded.

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for South Derbyshire, Lucy Care, said:

“The Conservatives have driven us to a desperate place - roads are crumbling, motorists, cyclists, and other road users are suffering as a result. Potholes damage vehicles, increase journey times and bring a real cost to our local economy.

“It isn’t fair on families across South Derbyshire to be paying the price for this shambolic Conservative Government, who have completely failed to maintain our roads.

“The Conservatives have overseen cuts to our transport network, maintenance works delays and the decline in the state of our roads across the board. For all of their lip service to motorists, it's clear the Conservatives do not care about drivers, cyclists, or horse riders in South Derbyshire. 

“Only the Liberal Democrats have a real plan to fix the state of our roads by giving the money to local councils, who know their roads and are best placed to fix them.

“Sign our petition at www.southderbyshirelibdems.org.uk/campaigns/fill-the-potholes”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The Liberal Democrat analysis can be found here.

The Asphalt Industry Alliance’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey 2024 found that the average cost of filling a pothole - planned rather than reactive - is £51.40. [Source - ALARM survey report 2024]e press release here