
Kent County Council needs funds to fix potholes
Mr Howe, who previously worked as a highway maintenance engineer, said adequate government funding used to allow the council to resurface roads at a reasonable rate."Over the years, through many governments, there has been funding cut, cut, cut," he said. "And the state of the countries roads have all fallen in that time."Kent is not alone. Every county you go through has the same problem. And it is the severe lack of funding."
'Ready to go'
Nearly half of the region's road network – more than 13,000 miles – has less than 15 years' structural life remaining, according to the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey, produced by the Asphalt Industry Alliance.Mr Howe added: "If we could have an awful lot of money, we've got companies out there, ready to go."We could do what we'd actually really like to do. And that is a strategic asset approach where you get the roads fit for purpose before they are ready to fail."In May, Reform UK took control of KCC, wiping out the Conservative majority after nearly 30 years.Mr Howe said it was "too early to tell" if the change in leadership would lead to major changes."They've got some great ideas. And they have said potholes are their priority, which is brilliant from our point of view," he said.Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said potholes had "plagued motorists for far too long"."This government is firmly on the side of drivers. Every area of England will get extra cash to tackle this problem once and for all."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Viktor Gyokeres finally gets his wish as Arsenal-bound striker boards private jet to London after going on strike at Sporting to seal £64m move
Viktor Gyokeres has boarded a flight to London after Arsenal reportedly reached total agreement for the transfer of the Sweden star. The Gunners had been in prolonged negotiations with Sporting Lisbon for the forward's transfer, and are now believed to have agreed a deal, with personal terms not an issue. Gyokeres' agency, HC Media, shared footage of Gyokeres boarding what appeared to be a private jet to make his way to the English capital to finalise the move. More to follow.


The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
North Norfolk has highest proportion of properties owned outright
Nearly half of properties in North Norfolk are owned outright by their occupants, a higher proportion than any other local authority in England, new figures show. The thin strip of East Anglia coastline, which includes the seaside towns of Cromer and Sheringham, has for several years been the area of England with the largest percentage of population aged 65 and over. The data has been published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as part of its latest estimates of household tenure, which also includes figures for accommodation that is rented or owned with a mortgage or loan. North Norfolk tops the list for the highest percentage of properties owned outright by occupants (49.8%), followed by Rother in East Sussex (48.7%), Staffordshire Moorlands (48.2%), Derbyshire Dales (48.2%) and East Lindsey in Lincolnshire (47.3%). Three of these five – North Norfolk, Rother and East Lindsey – are also the local authorities where people aged 65 and over account for the largest share of the population. The areas with the greatest proportion of homes owned outright by occupants tend to be in coastal regions or away from cities, the ONS said. The top five with the lowest percentage of outright ownership are all in London: Tower Hamlets (8.4%), Hackney (10.0%), Southwark (10.8%), Islington (11.8%) and Lambeth (12.1%). However, the trend is reversed for properties that are privately rented. Here the top five areas with the highest proportion are all in the capital: City of London (51.8%), Westminster (47.9%), Kensington & Chelsea (42.8%), Newham (41.1%) and Tower Hamlets (41.0%). The bottom five are outside cities and away from heavily built-up areas: North East Derbyshire (10.3%), South Staffordshire (10.6%), Rochford in Essex (10.6%), Bromsgrove in Worcestershire (10.7%) and Maldon in Essex (11.7%). The ONS figures are for 2023 and suggest there were a total of 23.7 million households in England living in 25.4 million dwellings. Of this total, 8.3 million dwellings (32.6%) were owned outright, 7.6 million (29.8%) were owned with a mortgage or a loan, 5.3 million (20.8%) were privately rented and 4.2 million (16.7%) were socially rented, mainly from housing associations and local authorities. Wokingham in Berkshire has the highest proportion of properties owned with a mortgage or loan (42.3%), followed by Dartford in Kent (41.4%), Hart in Hampshire (39.5%), Bracknell Forest in Berkshire (39.4%) and Reigate & Banstead in Surrey (39.0%). The areas with the lowest proportion are again all in London: Westminster (13.3%), Kensington & Chelsea (13.8%), Camden (14.9%), City of London (15.1%) and Islington (17.1%). For properties that are socially rented, the top five areas are in the capital: Islington (38.9%), Southwark (38.5%), Hackney (38.5%), Lambeth (33.4%) and Camden (31.7%). The bottom five are Castle Point in Essex (5.3%), Wokingham (7.1%), Medway in Kent (7.3%), Wyre in Lancashire (7.6%) and Ribble Valley in Lancashire (7.8%).


The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
I look forward to meeting Swinney, says Trump as he leaves US for Scotland
US President Donald Trump has said he is looking forward to meeting Scottish First Minister John Swinney. The pair are expected to meet during the president's four-day trip to Scotland, which is expected to begin on Friday evening. Mr Trump will visit both of the golf clubs he owns in the country – Turnberry in South Ayrshire and Menie, near Aberdeen, in the coming days. Before boarding the presidential plane Air Force One to fly to Scotland, he told journalists: 'The Scottish leader is a good man, so I look forward to meeting him.' He also said he has a 'lot of love' for Scotland. Speaking to the PA news agency ahead of the visit on Friday, Mr Swinney said the meeting will be 'an opportunity to 'essentially speak out for Scotland' on international issues such as Gaza, as well as trade and the increase of business from the United States in Scotland. 'There are clearly also significant international issues upon which the people of Scotland have a view and want to have that view expressed by their First Minister,' he said. 'That relates to the awfulness of the situation in Gaza and the unbearable human suffering that is going on in Gaza. 'I want to make sure that those concerns and those views are expressed to the president of the United States. 'We have that opportunity, and I intend to take that opportunity to make sure that Scotland's voice is heard.' Mr Swinney also urged all of those set to protest against the president's visit to do so 'peacefully and to do so within the law'.