Tax plea for '˜desperately needed' Midlands road improvements

The Local Government Association wants the government to match rising income from fuel and tax to allow councils to spend an extra £400m each year on improving local roads.

A spokesman from V12 Sports and Classics echoed the call and praised the LGA for drawing attention to the state of the roads.

“More funding for road repairs can only be a positive,” he said.

“We’ve all seen potholes and cracks on the road – not just on rural roads but in big cities like Birmingham and Leicester – so I think anything which raises awareness of this issue is a fantastic idea.”

He said digital tax discs made it easier for the government to collect taxes so there should be more money to spend on roads.

The LGA said if the government matched the increase in fuel and motoring tax income generated over the last 10 years, councils would have an extra £418m to spend.

The organisation said increasingly busy roads made action more important than ever.

“The government needs to develop a fully funded plan to help councils deliver the desperately-needed local road improvements we need,” said LGA transport spokesman Martin Tett.

“This should include matching the extra growth in tax take with the funding it provides councils.

“This would see councils given an extra £400 million a year to spend on filling potholes, easing congestion and protect vital bus routes. Only with long-term funding can councils deliver roads truly fit for the 21st century.”

The government has been approached for a comment on its position.

On October 17, Confused.com published in-depth research showing the extent of the UKs pothole problem.

Following Freedom of Information requests to almost 200 local authorities, the insurance company revealed 1,031,787 potholes were reported across the UK in 2016.

The West Midlands had 72,462 potholes, reaching a total depth of 2,806m.

The V12 Sports and Classics said potholes weren’t just inconvenient, but have the potential to cause serious damage to cars.

“The most common thing is the suspension or the shocks are damaged but there are lots of potential issues,” he said.

“If you see potholes at the last minute and have to do a lot of sudden braking it can wear down the brake pads. The tyres themselves can be damaged from hitting the pothole.

“There are too many issues to pin it down to just one or two.”

The research also revealed a third of drivers had their cars damaged by potholes and councils had paid out £3.1m compensation in 2016.

V12 Sports and Classics is one of the fastest growing independent car supermarkets in the UK.

It offers more than 850 cars across three showrooms in Hinckley, Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton.

V12 Sports and Classics is also the only car supermarket professionally associated with the AA.

For more information on how the team could help you find your dream car visit www.v12sportsandclassics.co.uk or pop into one of the showrooms.