ROB Humby, deputy leader of Hampshire County Council, has welcomed calls by the House of Commons Transport Select Committee for more Government investment to repair local roads.

The state of roads has been a chronic source of complaint against the county council in recent years.

Cllr Humby said: “At a time when local authorities are facing unprecedented budget pressures, it is imperative that a proper share of national funding is allocated for roads maintained by councils.

“With motoring taxes now raising some £34 billion annually, it is not unreasonable for motorists and other road users to expect to see more of this money re-invested in maintaining local roads. It is interesting to note that the proportion of income from motoring taxes that the Government spends on roads and transport has fallen from 44 per cent to under 30 per cent in the last 20 years. It is time to provide more funding to help reverse the decline in local road condition being seen across the country.”

The report by the transport select committee described the current short-term approach to financing road maintenance as “not fit for purpose” and noted that an investigation by the Asphalt Industry Alliance found that councils in England and Wales would need to spend a total of £9.8 billion over 10 years to bring all their roads up to scratch.