Redcar and Cleveland Council is set to receive almost twice as much highways maintenance funding over the next five years, following confirmation of an increased Government settlement for the Tees Valley. The local authority will receive approximately £33 million over the next five years, compared with around £17 million during the previous five-year period.
The funding is allocated to the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA), which acts as the regional transport authority and distributes the money among its five partner local authorities.
Councillor Carl Quartermain, Redcar and Cleveland Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, welcomed the increase, saying previous allocations for the borough had been insufficient.
He said he had challenged the previous approach to funding, arguing that a “business as usual” strategy was not sustainable. He also highlighted occasions when the council had been forced to borrow money commercially to maintain its roads and infrastructure.
Announcing the increase at a council meeting, Cllr Quartermain said:
“This council’s highways and transport department is now in a much stronger position than where we started three years ago and I look forward to continuing working with the department to help scope out proposals to bring forward later this year.”
The increased settlement follows concerns raised last year that existing funding was insufficient to maintain all the highways and coastal assets for which the council is responsible.
A report to council members warned that some planned work could need to be reduced because of financial pressures, including rising operational and material costs.
It also highlighted the impact of unforeseen infrastructure failures, including a landslip at Easington and storm damage to a slipway on Redcar seafront.
The report said previous funding arrangements had not included inflationary indexation, placing additional pressure on the council’s maintenance budget and its ability to ensure structures across the borough remained safe, compliant and fit for purpose.
The condition of local roads, particularly potholes, has also been a source of criticism for the authority.
Earlier this year, Cllr Quartermain said the council was on course to repair 11,000 potholes during 2025/26, despite ongoing financial and operational challenges. He also rejected claims that roads in the East Cleveland area were being neglected.
A TVCA spokesperson said all five Tees Valley local authorities would receive a similar increase in highways maintenance funding, adding that maintenance funding had previously been provided through one-year Government settlements, which were passed from the combined authority to the five local authorities.
(Picture: Nigel Rusby)
