"Today we’ve agreed to spend an extra £1m on improving East Sussex roads.
"That money will double our investment in a programme of patching. It will pay for 400 repairs across the county where the road surface has been damaged.
"I want to be entirely open about this: it won’t, of course, fix every issue on our highways.
"But it shows how our roads are a priority for the county council, as they are for many of you.
"This new money means that we’ve added £22.5m to road maintenance over the last three years.
"And we’re doing this even though the financial pressures on local councils are the most intense they’ve ever been.
"You can read more about our financial challenge below.
"And you can find out more about roads near you where further improvements will be carried out in the coming months."
Keith Glazier, leader of East Sussex County Council
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 Work starts now to patch more than 400 spots on our road network which have suffered significant damage.
The county council’s cabinet voted today to double the money for this work, recognising that roads are vital to your journeys and the economy of East Sussex.
It will bring our extra investment in roads in East Sussex to £22.5 million over the last three years. In that time (including grants) we've spent almost £85 million on highways - including for patching, pothole fixes, drainage and surfacing.
Not all sites can be repaired: the patching work over the year ahead will prioritise the most damaged, especially on A and B roads which are the busiest.
The county council is under severe financial pressure (see more below) but the extra investment in roads comes from our one-off (capital) funds and will not affect other annual services.
Many people in East Sussex rely on vital public services and the county council is fighting to preserve these wherever possible.
But we’re in a severe financial situation with a shortfall of up to £55 million next year. We are urging the government to give more support to local councils. Even well-run ones (like East Sussex) are under intense pressure.
Without extra support, we will have no choice but to consider reducing some of our services to make ends meet. This is explained in our report, State of the County. State of the County cover report.pdf (eastsussex.gov.uk)
Where we have to consider reducing services, we will consult the people of East Sussex first to get your views and help ensure we put our limited resources where they’ll have the greatest effect.
Our guiding priorities remain to keep caring for the most vulnerable people in our communities, to help people help themselves and to support the economy locally.
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