‘Green’ rating for Essex underlines Essex County Councils record on road improvement
The Government league table ranks councils on road condition, capital spend and best practice.
Essex County Council has welcomed the news that the county has received a ‘green’ rating from the Government for its road maintenance and repair.
The rating reflects the hard work that’s gone into repairing more than 5,000 miles of roads, thanks to the additional funding provided by the Department for Transport and the County Council.
The council has invested an extra £49 million, in addition to the annual highways’ maintenance budget, to repair potholes and other defects since 2024. Additional funding was also secured from the Department for Transport, which has confirmed Essex County Council would receive over £168 million for road repairs until 2029/30.
The repair programme has been delivered through the Priority One programme over the last year and the ongoing Members’ Highways Initiative, which have ensured thousands more additional repairs have been carried out in the last two years.
Priority One focused on proactive maintenance such as road resurfacing, vegetation clearance, white lines and replacing broken signs.
The Members’ Highways Initiative gives County Councillors the opportunity to have dedicated crews carry out smaller road and pavement repairs in their divisions every few weeks, alongside £300,000 to carry out repairs caused by winter weather conditions and address concerns of local residents.
Crews are currently managing the winter service and keeping the roads safe for travellers in wintry weather. This includes driving the gritters in icy conditions and carrying out make safe repairs where the weather is causing damage.
However, larger scale resurfacing and repair works will resume in the Spring to carry out further repairs and maintain the condition of the county’s roads for even longer.
Councillor Mark Platt, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport at Essex County Council, said: "We're delighted to see that Essex has achieved a top-level green rating, demonstrating that we are investing in proactive and preventative maintenance to ensure our roads are fixed across our great county.
"Our investment into maintaining our network through regular maintenance, our £25m Priority One campaign, and the Members Highway Initiative demonstrates our commitment to keeping road users and pedestrians alike safe.
“I am proud of the hard work our Highways crews have shown in tackling the issues that residents see and care about the most, helping us build a safer, greener and healthier Essex.”
The Government league table ranks councils on road condition, capital spend and best practice.
Essex County Council has welcomed the news that the county has received a ‘green’ rating from the Government for its road maintenance and repair.
The rating reflects the hard work that’s gone into repairing more than 5,000 miles of roads, thanks to the additional funding provided by the Department for Transport and the County Council.
The council has invested an extra £49 million, in addition to the annual highways’ maintenance budget, to repair potholes and other defects since 2024. Additional funding was also secured from the Department for Transport, which has confirmed Essex County Council would receive over £168 million for road repairs until 2029/30.
The repair programme has been delivered through the Priority One programme over the last year and the ongoing Members’ Highways Initiative, which have ensured thousands more additional repairs have been carried out in the last two years.
Priority One focused on proactive maintenance such as road resurfacing, vegetation clearance, white lines and replacing broken signs.
The Members’ Highways Initiative gives County Councillors the opportunity to have dedicated crews carry out smaller road and pavement repairs in their divisions every few weeks, alongside £300,000 to carry out repairs caused by winter weather conditions and address concerns of local residents.
Crews are currently managing the winter service and keeping the roads safe for travellers in wintry weather. This includes driving the gritters in icy conditions and carrying out make safe repairs where the weather is causing damage.
However, larger scale resurfacing and repair works will resume in the Spring to carry out further repairs and maintain the condition of the county’s roads for even longer.
Councillor Mark Platt, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport at Essex County Council, said: "We're delighted to see that Essex has achieved a top-level green rating, demonstrating that we are investing in proactive and preventative maintenance to ensure our roads are fixed across our great county.
"Our investment into maintaining our network through regular maintenance, our £25m Priority One campaign, and the Members Highway Initiative demonstrates our commitment to keeping road users and pedestrians alike safe.
“I am proud of the hard work our Highways crews have shown in tackling the issues that residents see and care about the most, helping us build a safer, greener and healthier Essex.”