Dumfries and Galloway Council's Policy and Resources Committee is being recommended to release additional funds for road repairs.

A report will go before the committee on 5 November and will set out an overview of the agreed Capital Investment Strategy for the current financial year. Progress reports reveal that net spending in the current 2013/14 financial year is indicated to be £34.155m (98.4% of the approved programme).

Under a review of the programme, a number of areas have since been identified for potential slippage, and the local authority's Capital Strategy Investment Group has suggested that money – which is not being used – is reallocated to areas where it can be fully utilised.

-- Advertisement --

As a result, members of the committee are being asked to consider releasing a further £0.6m for road repairs. This money would allow the Council to carry out work where multiple road repairs are needed, or where there are underlying structural weaknesses in the road structure.

Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee, Councillor Robbie Nicholson, said: "Out Council has a commitment to spend at least £50m over the next five years on the maintenance of our roads.

"This funding would enable us to further improve roads maintenance to the benefit of local road users, businesses, and tourists. Following severe weather last winter, the programme of safety inspections was accelerated, focussing on the worst affected areas.

"Our Council has significantly improved the way that we find and record road defects and roads maintenance progress is regularly reported to the appropriate Council committees."

(JP/CD)