Oral Answers to Questions

Jen Craft Excerpts

Thursday 9th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Warinder Juss (Wolverhampton West) (Lab)]

13. What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the condition of local roads.

[Jen Craft (Thurrock) (Lab)]

15. What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the condition of local roads.

[Emma Foody (Cramlington and Killingworth) (Lab/Co-op)]

17. What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the condition of local roads.

--- Later in debate ---

[Heidi Alexander]

We agree that local authorities should not just patch potholes, but focus on long-term preventive programmes for repairing and maintaining all parts of the highway network, including footpaths, pavements and bridges. We will require local authorities to follow best practice to get the full funding uplift, and we will update the guidance document “Well-managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice” to support local authorities in that and to emphasise the importance of proactive preventive measures.

[Jen Craft]

Potholes plague the streets of Thurrock and are a daily reminder of 14 years of Conservative neglect. Stifford Clays, where my own tentative attempts to learn to drive took place, is particularly bad, but the effects are felt throughout my constituency. I am pleased that the Secretary of State is tackling this issue, with £4 million committed for Thurrock specifically. Will she tell me how much motorists in Thurrock could save under Labour’s plans?

[Heidi Alexander]

Our broken roads have long been a national embarrassment, and a proper fund to fix our roads has long been overdue. In answer to my hon. Friend’s specific question, RAC data shows that the average cost of pothole-related damage to vehicles is about £500, with severe repairs often costing much more. The Government’s extra funding for local highways maintenance next year could therefore save individual motorists in Thurrock hundreds of pounds, if not more.