£40million backlog in local highways work

Roads in and around Newtown and throughout north Powys are unlikely to have significant improvements for years to come as the council admits it has a £40 million backlog in work.

Priorities are being given to urgent improvements, but anything else is likely to be put on hold.

Powys county councillor will next week decide how to prioritise its roads budget as it continues to make savings. But potholes, poor road surfacing and other highway issues in Newtown and north Powys are unlikely to be dealt with soon.

The highways committee will consider a report by Adrian Jervis, acting head of highways, transport and recycling. In it, he states: "The range of options for allocating expenditure across work categories is therefore considerable."

He states: "The highway core funding of £1.5 million will be allocated to highway strengthening (resurfacing), town centre footways, bridge strengthening, structures major maintenance, drainage, remedial earthworks, road safety and traffic management."

He added that a moratorium on major schemes in the county would continue. "Such schemes will therefore only be considered if they unlock significant regeneration potential or are primarily funded through external sources," he said.

Councillors are likely to agree to the plans at the meeting next Thursday.