Nottinghamshire roads will benefit from £3.3 million in extra funding to help repair road surfaces, drains, and pavements.
Nottinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet met today (February 6) to discuss its budget proposals, which will go to full council for approval at the end of the month.
Councillor Richard Jackson (Con), Cabinet Member for Finance, announced that the county will benefit from £3.3 million in extra funding after the government’s grant settlement to local authorities was finalised.
Figures for the amount the council receives in the final settlement have not yet been published, but the £3.3 million figure was confirmed in the meeting.
The council says the final settlement figure from the government is more than expected.
Cllr Jackson said: “It’s £3.3 million more than we expected. It’s a natural decision for us to invest that into the most important part of the services we provide—what people see every day—which is repairing the roads.”
The council has invested £66 million in road repairs, such as resurfacing, pothole repairs, and gully cleaning, during the current financial year, which finishes at the end of March 2025.
Council Leader Sam Smith (Con) said the decision to direct all of the extra money straight into highway maintenance was “easy”.
“When the finance director came to me and said, ‘What are we going to do with this money? Shall we put it back into reserves?’
“I said, ‘Absolutely not. We’re going to spend it on the priority of the residents, and that’s roads—probably the quickest and best decision I’ve ever made.’”
He added that a full list of priority roads across the county that will benefit from the money is currently being drawn up. This will be announced at the full council meeting on February 27.
Cllr Neil Clarke (Con), Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said the money will help to complete road repairs faster.
He said: “It means we can bring repairs that might have been scheduled some time ahead in earlier—that is bound to show a remarkable increase and improvement in the road repairs in Nottinghamshire.”
With the extra £3.3 million, the council is now receiving around a £34 million increase in grant funding from the government.
Labour Group Leader Cllr Kate Foale said: “Thanks to the Labour government giving over £30 million in extra funding to Nottinghamshire, the council’s books are balanced.
“With a Labour government, Nottinghamshire has more money for social care, children’s care, and highways. This is a stark contrast to 14 years of cuts under the Tories and a welcome boost of investment in Notts.”
The Conservative authority announced last week its intention to increase its part of council tax bills by 4.84 per cent.
It is still expecting a cumulative funding shortfall of £21.8 million by the 2028/29 financial year.
