Labour has insisted it is serious about fixing the North East’s crumbling infrastructure.
Roads minister Lilian Greenwood, speaking on a visit on Thursday to promote a £1.6 billion national pot for fixing potholes across the country, said the Government has “huge” ambitions for the region. Her trip came after weeks of worrying news about some of the area’s essential transport links, most notably the sudden and ongoing closure of the A167 Gateshead Flyover last month amid fears it could collapse.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has yet to commit to providing any money to help resolve that situation or fund plans to demolish the flyover and redevelop that area of Gateshead town centre, while ministers have also come under fire for scrapping long-debated proposals to dual the A1 in Northumberland.
There also remains major doubt over the delivery of the Government’s promised final £6 million for the restoration of the Tyne Bridge, as well as concerns about the condition of both the Swing and Redheugh bridges, while welding problems have been uncovered on the newly-built Allerdene Bridge on the A1 in Gateshead. Regional leaders have also called for the Government to lend its backing to major projects like the reopening of the Leamside railway line and a renewal of the Tyne and Wear Metro’s signalling system.
Speaking after seeing North Tyneside Council staff repairing potholes in Seaton Burn, Ms Greenwood told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I know how important transport is to unlocking the potential of a region, an absolutely vital region like the North East. They have been really badly let down by successive Conservative governments over the last 14 years.
“We have a plan for change, we are absolutely determined to deliver the growth that Labour has promised and transport has an important role to play. Today I am here talking about the extra money for road maintenance and that is a really good example of us delivering on our promises.”
She added: “Our ambition is huge and we are determined to try and deliver on it so that we have growth in the North East as we want, not just in other parts of the country.”
As part of Labour’s road repair funding, which the DfT says will fix up to seven million more potholes next year, councils across the North East will share in an uplift of £22 million in 2025/26. However, that amount falls dramatically short of tackling the backlog of potholes across the region.
Future of roads Minister Lilian Greenwood and North Tyneside Mayor Norma Redfearn watch pothole repairs on Dudley Lane in Seaton Burn.
(Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)
In Newcastle alone, council bosses warned last year that they had £185 million worth of outstanding repairs needed on its roads. Ms Greenwood said that this year’s funding uplift would not be a “one off” and insisted it was a “substantial amount of money” to tackle the problem.
The minister added: “We have had 14 years in which successive Conservative governments have allowed our roads to get into an appalling state of disrepair. The Labour government has come in and we are giving £1.6 billion to local authorities across England, that is an increase of 50% on the funding this year.
“Of course we cannot fix everything overnight, but I hope people recognise that is a substantial amount of money that will allow local authorities to get on with the job to tackle that potholes backlog. And it isn’t just about reactive repairs, it is about making sure we avoid the defects in the first place.”
Ms Greenwood joined North Tyneside mayor Norma Redfearn on Dudley Lane to discuss the council’s plans to improve the state of its roads, having taken highways services back in-house after 12 years of outsourcing to Capita. The authority said it was exploring the use of artificial intelligence to detect potholes and maintenance issues early, while also pledging to invest an extra £2 million per year for improvements.
Dame Norma said: “This is about more than just fixing potholes – it’s about rethinking how we maintain our highways. By recycling materials and embracing new technologies, we’re adopting a smarter, greener approach to improving road conditions for everyone. We want to make our roads safer, deliver repairs faster, and reduce the environmental impact of maintenance work while addressing residents’ concerns.”
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