The WLGA welcomes the announcement by WAG of an additional £8m to assist local authorities in Wales in dealing with high levels of salt usage and highway repairs arising from the extreme winter conditions we experienced from November onwards.
Together with the £7m announced earlier this month, this provides authorities across Wales with a welcome additional £15m to help with pothole repairs and salt restocking. This continues the Wales-wide collaborative approach to dealing with winter service issues across all 22 authorities in partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government.
Councillor Bob Wellington (Torfaen), WLGA Transportation spokesperson said:
“We have raised the issue of the additional pressure on our budgets with the Deputy First Minister and are very pleased with the constructive response and the additional funding. The WLGA contacted all authorities to identify spend that can be undertaken before the end of the financial year. All areas have been badly affected and, in the context of cuts in the transport budget that we face next financial year, this funding will allow us to make an early start on repairing the road network and restocking our salt barns. The scale of the problem means that there will be an ongoing need to invest in our highway network and we will be continuing to engage with the Deputy First Minister on this issue”.
