Progress on Repairing Roads across Wycombe and Bucks

As an avid motorcyclist, I understand the concerns many of my constituents have raised with me about potholes and other damage to our roads.

The cold spell earlier this year took a significant toll on our road network in Wycombe. However, recent dry conditions have allowed Bucks Council to make sterling progress in repairing our local roads.

??Many constituents have recently raised the issue of potholes with me.

?Great to see @BucksCouncil, with the support of Government, putting millions more into fixing them alongside bigger crews and better machinery.

?This will mean better roads across #Wycombe and #Bucks. pic.twitter.com/XQqrqfjjhm
— Rt Hon Steve Baker MP FRSA ? (@SteveBakerFRSA) May 23, 2023

The Council announced earlier this year it would release £5 million for its general fund reserves for the purposes of road maintenance, in response to some 2,600 reports of potholes in Bucks. Since the new Buckinghamshire Highways contract began on 1 April, the Council has now completed over 16,500 road repairs.

There are currently 15 teams working on road repairs around the clock, seven days a week. Alongside this, the Council continues to roll out a programme of bigger improvement works, with over 200 larger resurfacing, drainage, and road safety projects on specific sections of the highways.

For example, this month and next Bucks Council will be upgrading various outdated street lighting lanterns, starting in High Wycombe. Some 680 lanterns will be upgraded with LED energy-efficient lighting, saving approximately 70% of the energy previously used, whilst providing better quality lighting and reducing future maintenance costs.

? Pleased to see @BucksCouncil work to replace 680 street lights across #Wycombe with LED energy-efficient lighting.

?This will save approximately 70% of the energy previously used, provide better quality lighting, and reduce future maintenance costs across #Bucks.
— Rt Hon Steve Baker MP FRSA ? (@SteveBakerFRSA) August 22, 2023

It is also important to note that roads nationwide are facing issues with damage. In response, the Government has introduced both new regulations and more national funding for the improvement of road services.

From 1 April 2023, new regulations came into force for a performance-based inspection regime to ensure utility companies resurface roads to the best possible standard after street works, preventing thousands of potholes from developing. Utility companies will be assessed on the quality of their road repairs, with the best companies inspected less and the worst-performing inspected more.

Further, the Government is investing more than £5 billion in highways maintenance over the course of this Parliament with £2.7 billion invested in the maintenance of England’s local highway network outside London in 2020-21 and 2021-22 alone. At the 2023 Budget, the Chancellor announced an additional £200 million for local authorities to repair potholes.

I am pleased to see both local and national government hard at work to continue to make these much-needed repairs to our road network, and I know improvements will continue to manifest.