MK Labour has revealed its plan to fix our city roads, highlighting plans to use innovative technology and AI to improve roads across the city.
Milton Keynes City Council has fixed over 15,000 potholes since April 2023 at a rate of one every 12 minutes. Now MK Labour has reveals plans to fix more roads and pavements, and keep them in good condition.
The council recently announced that current contractor Ringway has been awarded a new contract, but with firmer targets on increasing the number and quality of repairs while focusing on long-term improvements.
A Labour-led council would work to deploy new technology that will allow maintenance to take place earlier and before major defects emerge, keeping roads in better condition and saving money.
The pledge comes as central government funding to Milton Keynes City Council for the next financial year will be a real-terms cut after inflation and on top of £200m in funding cuts to the council over the last decade.
A recent independent report by the AIA found that the rate of pothole repairs for local roads across England and Wales has hit a record eight-year high, with the backlog nationally reaching a record £16.3billion. While the government recently announced that £8bn of funding will be re-allocated previous earmarked for HS2 to fix Britain’s crumbling roads, this is only half of what is required right now and will only be given in annual chunks over a 10-year period until 2034.
MK Labour has also announced today that they also pledge to:
Protect services, including weekly bin collections, despite £200m Tory cuts.
Invest £90m in junction improvements by 2030.
Balance the budget of the council next year without using reserves to avoid the bankruptcy faced by dozens of local authorities across the country.
Labour Councillor and Cabinet member for Public Realm, Jennifer Wilson-Marklew said:
“Milton Keynes City Council currently fixes a pothole every 12 minutes.
Despite having to make over £200m in cuts over the past decade, Milton Keynes City Council has been making the best out of the limited budget it’s got.
While independent analysis shows we have some of the best maintained roads in the country, I know potholes are inevitable wherever you go, and they will always be an issue to motorists and other road users.
Recent wet weather means that this year is particularly challenging. It is not possible to fix all potholes or have perfect roads, especially with real-terms funding cuts from the Conservative government, but Labour pledge to continue making improvements to our roads.”
She concluded:
“After 14 years in power the Conservative Government has let our roads crumble and the rate of pothole repairs needed to reach a record high.
MK Labour will use new technologies to help maintain and improve our local roads. We want to get to a position where we are working with our new contractor to keep our roads in a good condition with earlier action, not always waiting for costly repairs. A Labour council will improve our roads and provide value for money.”