An extra £12 million has been allocated by West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker to tackle potholes and road damage across the region.
The funding, drawn from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), will be split equally between six local councils – Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton – to support their road maintenance and repair work.
According to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), the money is enough to fix around 132,000 potholes and will also help trial new low-carbon road surfaces. Developed locally through the Centre of Excellence for Decarbonising Roads, the surfaces are designed to last longer and cut emissions.
Mayor Parker said: “Too many of our roads are blighted with deep potholes, huge cracks and craters – leaving motorists struggling with dangerous driving conditions and large repair bills.”
He added that reallocating funding to councils will help improve road conditions quickly.
The £12 million follows a previous £8 million grant secured in February. In total, the region’s road repair budget has effectively doubled this year to £44 million for the six councils.
The Department for Transport will need to give final approval for the reallocation.
Birmingham is not included in the scheme as its roads are maintained through a separate private finance initiative.
