HAMPSHIRE and Southampton civic chiefs are calling for more Government money to tackle the pothole crisis.

A £2m funding package given to Southampton to repair and maintain its roads network is £128 million short of what is needed, according to the city council’s leader.

Simon Letts said that Southampton’s £2.3million share in a £1.2billion Government pot of cash set aside for UK roads is only a “fraction” of what is required to treat the city’s roads.

Southampton City Council (SCC) has been handed £2,295,000 in total for 2017/18, but Mr Letts said an extra £128 million is needed to bring its roads up to a “good condition”.

Of Southampton’s funding, £137,000 will be allocated to filling potholes, and just over £1.5million will be used for general highway maintenance.

The remaining £644,000 has been provided by the National Productivity Investment Fund, which has been created for highway and transport improvements.

The fund aims to reduce congestion at key locations, upgrade or improve the maintenance of local highway assets, improve access to employment and housing, and develop economic and job creation opportunities.

Mr Letts said: “This is a fraction of the money needed to bring our roads up to a good standard. We estimate this to be £130million. The only new money is the national infrastructure fund.

“This new money, whilst welcome, is enough to fully resurface only a few roads. Your Labour council has, in the last three years, doubled our spend on residential roads. This is the policy that we campaigned on at the last set of local elections and we are committed to delivering it.”

Mr Letts said if SCC’s funding was raised nearer to £10million, it could “start making a difference.”

He added: “What we have been given is a sticking plaster on a roads network which is in need of a massive health check.”

Mr Letts’ comments have been echoed by Councillor Rob Humby, executive member for environment and transport for Hampshire County Council (HCC).

Mr Humby said his authority would welcome more funding from Government to maintain and improve the county’s road network.

HCC was awarded £31,068,000 from the Government pot, with just over £2.1million allocated towards filling potholes across the county.

Nearly £24million will be used on highway maintenance, and just over £5million has been provided by Government’s National Productivity Investment Fund But Mr Humby said the authority would welcome more investment so it can “get on with the job that needs doing.”

His comments were made following recent concerns raised by the AA and RAC about central funding to councils for highways maintenance.

The two motoring organisations have called for Government to pump more money into the UK’s roads.

Mr Humby said: “I quite agree with the call from the country’s motoring organisations on the Government for more investment for local highway authorities to maintain and improve the road network.

“It’s important that councils, who are already facing considerable funding pressures, are given the help they need to maintain this critical infrastructure.”

Hampshire, one of the largest counties in England, contains more than 5,300 miles of road.

Mr Humby added: “We estimate around 95 per cent of all journeys are made on Hampshire’s roads and footways and, with one of the largest and busiest road networks in the country, the impact this has on the highways and footways is huge.

“Additionally, Hampshire has the highest car ownership in the country. Our geography in the South means that traffic on our local roads leading to major motorways and trunk roads between major ports, airports, and routes to London and the industrial Midlands certainly takes its toll.”

Hampshire County Council did not provide a figure on how much more funding it would like when asked.