Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Nicholas Winterton (Conservative). It was answered on Tuesday, 8 November 2005 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Transport Funding

Question: Does the Secretary of State agree that road maintenance is part of transport? Does he accept that, in many rural and county areas, the road authority—the county council—is finding it very difficult to maintain to an acceptable standard minor roads, which are increasingly used by traffic and ever heavier commercial vehicles? Should that not be taken into account in the allocation of transport funding, given the problems faced particularly by rural areas in counties throughout the country?

Answer: I agree with the hon. Gentleman. Road maintenance is absolutely essential. The problem is that many councils tend to consider it as a soft option for cuts if they want to spend money elsewhere, quite simply because it takes some years before that neglect becomes apparent. Unfortunately, despite the fact that we have dramatically increased the amount of money given to local authorities over the past seven or eight years, many authorities have not been spending the money where they ought to spend it. I do not know whether the hon. Gentleman has in mind his own county council, but perhaps he and other hon. Members who have this problem should have a word with their councils and ask them why they are not spending the money that the Government are giving them on road maintenance. It is a false economy to cut road maintenance; sooner or later, it results in major expenditure. Most people tend to judge transport by the state of their local transport and local roads, which is why it is important to get it right.

Secondary information