Extra roads cash for ‘top rated’ South Tyneside Council

South Tyneside Council has been among the Department for Transport’s best performing local authorities since 2018 - netting it an additional £208,000 for highways maintenance.

But the borough says it still faces a road repairs backlog worth £65m – although this is also down from £69m in 2015.

Coun Mark Walsh, cabinet member for housing and transport, said: “Major improvements in the condition of our strategic road network has been achieved through the application of good asset management, enabling targeted work on smaller estate roads, and reduction in road maintenance backlog from £69m to £65m.

“This has been achieved alongside major transport schemes, such as Lindisfarne and the Arches, and despite this council facing Government cuts since 2010 we’ve demonstrated once again this Labour council continues to deliver excellent services for the people of South Tyneside.”

The Department for Transport gave the council its top ‘band three’ rating in 2018, entitling it to the maximum highways funding available.

According to a report prepared for last week’s full council meeting, the borough’s £69m roads maintenance backlog is less than one per cent of the nation backlog, currently thought to be standing at about £9.31 billion.

James Harrison

James Harrison , Local Democracy Reporting Service