Political opinion: Helena Dollimore MP calls time on the ‘Pothole Pandemic’

Speaking on BBC Politics South East, Helena said: “The potholes in Hastings and Rye are truly shocking, and they are costing motorists a huge amount. They are causing injuries to people and dangerous driving as well.”

“The government has given the biggest increase ever to East Sussex County Council to fill those potholes. It’s really important that they do that, but it’s also really important that they change the way they do it. We don’t want these patch-up jobs that then re-emerge weeks later. We want them to be paying contractors to do the job properly, to check they do it, and then report back on how they’ve done it.”

Local roads are set for a facelift as the Labour Government begins its roll out of a £21 million pothole repair fund in East Sussex – with a clear message to the county council: prove you’re fixing the roads or lose funding.

The new plan will force East Sussex County Council to publish reports detailing how much they are spending, how many potholes they have filled, what percentage of their roads are in what condition, and how they are minimising disruption.

The reports will have to be published on the council’s website by the 30th June. They will also be required to show how they are spending more on long-term preventative maintenance programmes and that they have robust plans for the wetter winters we are experiencing – making potholes worse.

Fixing local potholes has been a key issue for Helena Dollimore MP, having drawn attention to the scale of the problem facing the Hastings, Rye and the villages in her maiden speech to Parliament. Local roads in the area are notorious for severe potholes, causing vehicle damage and accidents, with some areas ranked among the most dangerous in the UK.

Under the Labour Government’s new plan, the County Council will be forced to publish how much of this funding is being spent in Hastings in comparison to other areas, to ensure that the town receives its fair share.

Helena recently raised this exact point in Parliament, asking the Secretary of State for Transport: “Conservative-run East Sussex County Council has told me that it will have a lower highways budget this year than last year, even with that record injection from the Labour Government? We need to track how it is spending that money. I welcome the Government’s commitment to making councils publish reports on how the extra pothole money is spent. I hope it will include a geographical breakdown, so I can make sure that Hastings, Rye and the villages are getting their fair share.”