Tax to help pay for Pothole Repair
The UK's worst winter in 30 years has contributed to a sharp rise in potholes with the number increasing by 60 per cent over the past two years and as a result some residents are now facing a "snow tax" to pay for the additional road repairs.
The trade body for road menders, the Asphalt Industry Alliance, estimates that with the average cost of repairing potholes was £70 and with a pothole every 120 yards, it would take more than 15 years to fix them all, and the cost to local authorities could be £10 billion.
Some councils have approved council tax rises to pay for the repair bill of more than £1 million a day.
North Yorkshire County Council has imposed an increase of 2.94 per cent – up from an original 2.5 per cent – to fund its maintenance bill, adding almost £5 to an average Band D bill.
"This amounts to a snow tax. Of course the snow has caused problems but the council has £15 million in reserves to deal with unforeseen emergencies like this," said Bill Hoult, the council’s Lib-Dems leader.
Conservative leader John Weighell said it was the lowest increase the council, recently criticised for spending almost £28,000 resurfacing a dead-end farm track, had approved for 16 years.
He called on the Government to approve extra funding for repair work.
It is estimated the number of craters on Britain's 246,000 miles of secondary routes (excluding motorways or A-roads) has risen to more than 1.6 million, with an increase of 700,000 in the past two years alone.
Wet weather combined with freezing conditions destroys tarmac, as ice seeps into the road, expands and the enormous pressure splits the bitumen.
Last year the short cold snap cost local authorities almost £50 million in compensation claims for injury and damage, with an average driver facing a £240 repair bill.
An LGA spokeswoman said the "harshest winter for 30 years has left councils with a massive repair bill at a time when finances are squeezed".
"Potholes are the gaping sores in our road network and councils know how much motorists hate them. They are working flat out to carry as many repairs as possible."
"Councils are doing their best to balance the books without passing costs on to residents but funding available is limited."
Priory Road in Hull, East Yorkshire, was recently named the worst road in Britain after 319 potholes were found over just 400 yards! It was resurfaced last month.
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