Devon County Council has said that ‘every penny’ of the extra £9.4 million it has received from the Chancellor’s budget will be spent on improving the highway network and making sure Devon’s roads are more resilient.

Earlier this month the council learned that the county’s share of the additional £200 million capital funding from the Government was the largest among County and County Council Network unitary authorities.

it has now beenconfirmed that all the extra cash would go towards improving the condition of the network, including the prevention of defects, surface dressing and skid resistance on key routes.

The lion’s share of the money, £5.5million, would go towards the Local Area Capital Programmes, which will reflect local priorities identified through our elected members and Neighbourhood Highway Officers.

Using inspections and survey data, the remaining funding will be directed to preventative works to stop potholes forming in the first place.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, the Cabinet Member responsible for highway maintenance, said that this winter’s weather, particularly a freezing December, had had a significant impact on the condition of Devon’s 8,000-mile road network.

Councillor Stuart Hughes said: “I’m delighted that the Chancellor announced extra money for us and that we can now say how that money will be spent.

“With torrential rain and very cold snaps it’s been the worst possible weather for our network. This January alone we have had double the number of potholes than at the same time the previous year.

“I’m pleased to say that every penny of the £9.4million will be used to improve the resilience of the network.

“One of the ways we will do that is through a programme that will improve the way that local knowledge and priorities are considered when it comes to planning and delivering schemes. Through our elected members it will help us

to prioritise the schemes that local people feel are most important to their community.”