Councils in England risk losing up to a third of their funding to fix potholes if they fail to prove they are spending the cash effectively, under new government rules.
Ministers are growing increasingly frustrated that councils are using money earmarked to fix the country’s ailing roads to boost their coffers elsewhere and spending it on other frontline services.
Eight of the 13 councils rated “red” for their performance in mending pock marked roads are either Conservative or Reform-led and the timing of the announcement comes just weeks before crucial local elections in May.
Shorts
Pothole-ridden roads are among the number one bugbears for voters, with the state of Britain’s roads regularly cited as an example of the country’s malaise.
