A BUDGET statement from Essex County Council has revealed it is investing less than half of the amount needed to correctly maintain its roads, footways, street lighting and other public rights of way.

It was also outlined the council no longer has a revenue budget for potholes, meaning they are now entirely reliant on the Department for Transport’s pothole fund and capital maintenance allocation.

The statement revealed the assets, including roads and footways, are in "managed decline", as Essex County Council is investing £36.675 million per year of the £77 million required to maintain the assets.

It was highlighted the current proposed levels of investment in carriageways will see significant decline over the next ten years.

It was calculated the deterioration of "other assets", including footways, public right of ways and street lighting, is valued at £52 million, however, the current budget is only around 50 per cent of this.

Essex County Council revealed more of its structures need repairing this year, compared to last year.

It was also highlighted it is receiving rising insurance claims as a result of the condition of its footpaths.

The council stated the current indicative levels of investment will only worsen the situation.

Lib Dem councillor Mark Cory, who represents Wivenhoe, stated he has had to purchase a tyre inflator, as he has a slow puncture from hitting too many potholes around Colchester.

Mr Cory said: “Sadly this is not a surprise. Most of us suffer the state of Essex roads on a daily basis. Dodging potholes and cracks in the road has become second nature.

“It is unacceptable to see our roads and pavements crumble and decline to such an extent."

Carol Weller, chairwoman of the Essex Blood Runners, said: “They have made it so difficult for us to do our jobs. There are road closures everywhere with 20-mile diversions as they dig up a road to only partially fix it.

“The potholes can be so damaging to bikes. We had a volunteer who hit a pothole, destroyed their tyre and had to fix it out of his own pocket. There needs to be accountability for people who do the work.”

Lee Scott, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Highways Maintenance and Sustainable Transport, said: “Essex has around 5,000 miles of roads, the equivalent of travelling overland from Chelmsford to Beijing.

"It is one of the largest road networks in the country, with a mix of urban and rural roads, which each bring their own challenges. 

“All council budgets are under pressure and highways is no different. The fact is that we will never get to a point where we will be able to fix every pothole or streetlight needing repair within any given year.

“With the added pressure on our resources due to inflation, it may take longer than we would like to complete repairs.

"We will need to continue to prioritise those which require immediate attention because of safety or other wider concerns over more minor repairs to road surfaces or footways.”