MP welcomes £5.9M of government investment buy says more is needed to make local roads safer

Tim Farron MP has welcomed the extra £5.9 million of roads investment in Cumbria over the next two years.

Cumbria's extra cash is part of a £28.2 million fund for local road maintenance after funding allocations were published today by the coalition government. The £28.2 million is part of a £333 million fund announced in the Autumn Statement for essential maintenance to renew, repair and extend the life of roads in England.

This highways maintenance funding could be used for improvements such as road resurfacing, maintenance to bridges or repairing damage to highway infrastructure caused by severe weather events, such as the recent flooding.

Cumbria will be given £3.890 million in 2013/14 and £2.082 million in 2014/15.

Tim said: "This money is welcome and good news for Cumbria. Every meeting I have with Ministers I mention the poor state of roads and the desperate need for investment. I am glad the Government has responded and this is important funding that will help to make small improvements.

"The poor state of Cumbria's roads means that this money still won't be enough. We will also need to keep the pressure on the Conservative/Labour coalition that runs Cumbria County Council to ensure that they do not divert these funds away from the South Lakes as they have done in the past. It's important that we welcome this extra money while continuing to fight South Lakeland's corner for a better deal and for safer roads."