My office frequently contacts East Sussex County Council on behalf of constituents regarding potholes and road conditions. When I am travelling around the constituency between visits, I make a note of the roads which have potholes or poor surfaces. I have compiled a list of roads which require urgent attention and have sent it to East Sussex County Council, which is responsible for the maintenance of local roads. Whilst the list gets added to quite often, it is very satisfying to see roads like Harrow Lane resurfaced and it is due to emails from constituents and my work with local Conservative councillors and candidates which bolsters my lobbying to the County Council to achieve results.
The UK government has employed various mechanisms over the years to fund road maintenance, including potholes, and enhance the country’s road infrastructure. There are some notable initiatives such as the Road Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2), which covers the period from April 2020 to March 2025. RIS2 outlines a comprehensive plan for investment in and management of the strategic road network, and includes provisions for operations, maintenance, renewals, and enhancements. The investment aims to improve the quality, capacity, and safety of motorways and major A roads, and a total of £27.4 billion has been allocated to Highways England for this purpose. Hastings and Rye Constituency has benefitted from £20 million of funding for safety improvements to the A21 – such as those at the A21 junction at Moat Lane.
In 2023, the Government announced an £8.3 billion long-term plan to resurface over 5,000 miles of roads across the country within the next 11 years. This funding comes from re-allocating the HS2 funding as part of the Network North initiative, aimed at improving journeys for everyone. The funding is in addition to local transport funding from the last Spending Review and in addition to what local authorities were expecting in future. The redirection of HS2 funding represents a fundamental shift in investment strategy. The Government recognised the need to prioritise the forms of transport that matter most to people, and the new approach aims to unlock potential by redirecting billions of pounds from spiralling HS2 costs towards building daily connections that people depend on, especially our local roads. By investing in rail, roads, and buses, the Government seeks to stimulate economic growth and transform communities. There is also a levelling up element to ensure that every region receives substantial transport investment.
Campaigning for better roads and transport infrastructure is part of my daily life as an MP and I have achieved some considerable success in lobbying the Government for extra funding to improve the quality of our local roads. I consistently raise the issue of potholes across Hastings and Rye with ministers, and more recently, directly with the Chancellor. Following my pothole campaign in 2022, I was pleased with the extra £2.36 billion announced in the Spring Budget last year. The reallocated HS2 funding has resulted in an extra £1.674 million for 2023/24 – in addition to the £2.36 million funding increase announced last year. This brings the total government funding for roads resurfacing for East Sussex for 2023/24 to £17.31 million. These funding boosts represent an uplift of approximately 30% in funding for 2023/24 from the Government compared with 2022/23.
That is not all – there is more good news! Through the HS2 redirection of funding of £8.3 billion to resurface roads over the next 11 years, the County Council will receive a minimum of an extra £52 million to be spent on East Sussex roads - an increase of around two-thirds in Government support for our local roads. This new money is additional to the existing Highways Maintenance Block and Pothole Fund, and will, over time, transform the condition of local roads, allowing all road users smoother, faster, and safer trips - paid for with savings delivered by the Prime Minister’s decision to cancel HS2 Phase 2. It clearly shows that the Prime Minister is listening and his commitment to growing the economy whilst being fiscally responsible.
Improving our roads is a team effort, so if you spot a pothole or other concerning road conditions such as uneven surfaces, please report it via https://live.eastsussexhighways.co/report-problem