Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a trip to the North East today to look at the state of the roads as part of his campaign for the May elections.
Mr Sunak visited Firthmoor Community Centre in Darlington on Friday (March 31) where he met with Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, head of Darlington Council Jonathan Dulston and Darlington MP Peter Gibson to discuss the Conservative Manifesto, which includes a promise to improve local roads.
He then took to the streets to inspect the conditions of the roads in the area and pledged that there would be more cash to fix potholes across the country.
“Today we’re announcing more money for potholes,” he said as he was photographed inspecting a road defect during his visit.
However, Downing Street confirmed there was no new money on top of the £200 million announced in the Budget two weeks ago, PA reports.
The Prime Minister also highlighted new regulations, coming into force on Saturday, that will see utility companies penalised for leaving streets in poor condition.
Mr Sunak said: “There’ll be more fines, more inspections, that’s also going to help. We want to make sure it’s easy for people to get around.”
The “performance-based inspections regime” he was referring to was announced in May last year.
The Prime Minister's visit to the region comes as the Conservatives ramp up their efforts in recent weeks in a bid for voter support ahead of the May 4 local elections.
Speaking about the visit, MP Peter Gibson said “It’s been a fantastic morning with Rishi meeting local people, and being able to talk about the local investment in roads, there is a real buzz here and the news of increased funding to deal with potholes is a step in the right direction."
The Darlington Conservatives have launched their local election manifesto where they have pledged to improve green spaces, continue with free parking, deal with dog mess, improve safety and pride in our area, demolish Northgate Tower, and crackdown on speeding.
Cllr Jonathan Dulston, Leader of Darlington Borough Council said: “Our manifesto captures all the amazing things that we have already started in Darlington, which people can already see for themselves. As we go into the local elections all of what we’re promising has already started, and our journey is only just beginning.
“Our manifesto reflects on what people have been telling us on the doorstep is important to them. We will continue to deliver at pace, and we promise to deliver even more if elected in May.”
However, Mr Sunak's opponents have accused him of deploying a “complete re-hash” of a year-old pothole crackdown.
Lib Dem local Government spokeswoman Helen Morgan said: “This is nothing new and just a complete re-hash. The blunt truth is the Government has starved councils of funding to fix roads, and this latest sticking plaster is too little too late,” she said.
“Conservative-run rural councils have let their roads fall apart, causing damage to cars across the country. Rishi Sunak should visit those areas to see the problem for himself.”
Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh, accused the Government of “playing catch up after its own failures have left UK roads crumbling”.
“In 2021 the Prime Minister vowed to make potholes a thing of the past, but his decisions have left millions of them on our roads,” the Labour MP said.
“This is too little too late for the communities across the country paying the price for his broken promises.”
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