Local road surfaces in villages and residential areas in Suffolk should be tackled as part of a new £10 million programme, Suffolk County Council has announced.

The extra funding will nearly double Suffolk Highways’ £11 million annual roads maintenance budget, but be targeted at smaller residential streets which are typically maintained less frequently than busier A and B roads.

The announcement was made by Suffolk County Council’s leader, Cllr Matthew Hicks, at the authority’s annual general meeting last week.

Speaking about the funding, Cllr Hicks said: “Let me be clear, the state of some of our roads is not good enough. That is why today I am announcing a major investment to improve roads across the county where people live. Those smaller roads often in estates or off the beaten track in our villages that are rutted and in need of some love and attention. To do this we will set aside a further £10 million to be spent over the next 20 months reaching these locations across our county and I look forward to this being delivered with our new partner Milestone.”

The funding is subject to a formal Cabinet decision which will follow later this year.

At the same time, Cllr Hicks also reiterated the council’s commitment to improving services for children with special educational needs and disabilities, including £55 million to create 1,275 new SEND school places by 2025.
Cllr Hicks said: “We are seeing improvements, but the pace of change is not fast enough and it is not being felt by families. This is a hugely emotional issue, and it is deeply upsetting. Yes, it is part of a national struggle – but we cannot and must not hide behind that. Suffolk must continue to step up regardless of the situation nationally.”

To coincide with the annual general meeting, Suffolk County Council has published a list of its top 50 achievements since 2021, including:

• Our Cassius Digital Care work and innovation is going from strength to strength
• An extra £2.5m for mental health services
• 300 miles of road now designated as quiet lanes
• New household waste sites in Ipswich and Haverhill
• £13 million in funding secured for active travel
• 3,000 environmentally friendly homes being delivered on SCC land
• 250,000 trees planted
• Over 100 new EV charging points
• A new Highways Contract with Milestone starting in October
• 43,400 streetlights converted to LED.