AN extra £9 million has been set aside for tackling road and footpath repairs over the coming year after a council came under fire for "failing to do enough" to maintain the county’s highways.

Essex County Council announced the budget for 2023/24 will include the extra cash, after one Colchester councillor described the city centre as a “death trap for pedestrians”.

In October, a budget statement revealed the county council 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.

READ MORE: Essex Highways to get Government funding for potholes

Lee Scordis, Essex county councillor for Abbey division, had called on the council to declare a “highways emergency” over the issue.

He told a previous meeting of the council: “Colchester city centre is a death trap for pedestrians, while estate roads are a game of spot the bits of road rather than spot the pothole.

“Now we’re talking about not even managing to stand still, it’s actually going to get worse.”

Speaking at a meeting of the full council on Thursday, Lee Scott, the authority’s highways boss, said the extra cash would include £4 million for a “member-led” pothole scheme and a new scheme for footpaths.

He said: “We have had to make some difficult decisions in this years’ council budget, and this reflects the challenges we’re all facing on our finances at the moment.

“I am pleased, however, that Essex County Council is able to go further and provide increased investment for maintenance and repairs of the county’s roads and footpaths over the course of the next year.

“At the heart of delivering this investment is the work that will continue with members across the council to address the defects in their local areas and deliver roads and footpaths for their local residents that are safe.”