Cumbria County Council has announced it has been successful in receiving the highest banding of funding from the Department for Transport.
Cumbria County Council’s assessment is as a ‘Band 3’ performing authority and achieved 100% of the available incentive fund. This means that the total funding for 2022 to 2025 will continue at the same level of funding as 2021/22, which is £36m a year.
The Department for Transport (DfT) awards incentive funding annually based on the performance of our highways service in five key areas. These include:
- *asset management policy and strategy
- *communications
- *performance management and maintenance
- *asset data management
- *lifecycle planning
The scheme rewards councils that demonstrate that they are following an asset management approach and adopting best value and efficient practices to help manage its highway infrastructure. The amount of incentive funding awarded to a local authority is based on a self-assessment score and is proportionate to other funding streams.
Cllr Keith Little, Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport said: “Councils are banded between levels 1 to 3. We’ve received our full share of the incentive fund, based on our band 3 status – the top band.
“I’m delighted that we have maintained our top funding status. Councils can only receive the higher ‘band 3’ level of funding available if they are able to show they use the DfT’s recommended approach to maintenance based on the principle that ‘prevention is better than cure’.”
Submission of the next annual self-assessment is expected to be completed in the coming months.
