by Alan Quick

CREDITON, Sandford and Newton St Cyres are to benefit from funds from the Government’s Pothole Action Fund which were allocated to the county earlier this year.

The Crediton Rural area is to receive £29,000 to pay for pothole repairs and Sandford and Newton St Cyres areas are to receive £69,000.

Devon is receiving £1.9 million to fill potholes and prevent them from happening.

Devon’s share of the Pothole Action Fund is in addition to £41,155,000 of capital funding which the County Council has received from the Department for Transport.

Each County Council division area will receive at least £14,500 for repairs to ensure minor roads are repaired right across the county. Funding above that level has then been calculated using pothole frequency data for each area to ensure that more funding is directed to areas of most need.

Allocations include more than £127,500 in the wards covering the Bideford area, over £138,600 in total for Exeter, more than £49,100 in the divisions covering Exmouth and the surrounding area, over £95,100 for Honiton, more than £32,100 for the wards covering Newton Abbot, and over £54,200 for Tiverton.

Other allocations include Axminster – over £68,800, Barnstaple (North and South divisions) £30,600, Broadclyst and Whimple - £35,200, Bovey Tracey Rural - £39,700, Chudleigh Rural - £37,000, Combe Martin Rural – £32,300, Exminster and Kenton - £28,400, Hatherleigh and Chagford - more than £47,400, Holsworthy Rural – almost £100,000, Okehampton Rural - over £33,900, Ottery St Mary Rural - £41,900, South Molton Rural – more than £55,700, Torrington Rural – £69,100, Totnes Rural – around £22,900, Willand and Uffculme - £52,500, Yealmpton – over £23,800 and Yelverton Rural – more than £20,300.

Local council members are being invited to discuss repair site proposals with their local highways officer and they will have the opportunity to propose alternative schemes within the allocated budget.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council cabinet member for highway management, said: “While the additional money from the Pothole Action Fund is welcome it won’t stretch as far as we would like. However, it’s an opportunity to address some parts of the lower category road network. The shortfall in funding from central Government for our roads means that minor, rural roads are continuing to deteriorate. We are ensuring that this funding is used as efficiently as possible right across the county to patch up as many potholes as we possibly can.”

Once the finalised programme has been agreed later this year it will be published on the County Council’s webpages and work will be completed this financial year.