Mayor pledges extra £15.5m for road repairs

Nearly £16m has been earmarked for councils to help them fill in potholes and improve roads.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) said the £15.5m would help repair over 20km (12.4 miles) of road and around 37,000 sq-m (400,000 sq-ft) of carriageway patching.

It comes after 300 people signed a petition calling on Leeds City Council to repair Stanks Lane North, a major route through the city's Swarcliffe estate.

One person said the road was in such ill-state that elderly people have injured themselves trying to cross the road.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said she recognised the state of roads in the region was a "big issue" and added that better kept highways would improve and speed up journeys for drivers, cyclists and those travelling by bus.

Amongst the recipients of the additional money, which tops up existing government funding, Calderdale Council is set to receive just over £1.8m.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the now Reform-led authority called potholes a "perennial issue" and promised to tackle them.

Board members in Calderdale were told every pound spent on road repairs, was worth around £2.50 back, through improved journey times, improved safety for pedestrians and reduced repair costs for drivers.

Across the region, the extra funding will take WYCA five-year road improvement scheme spend over £300m between 2022 and 2027.

Leeds City Council confirmed Stanks Lane North will be repaired sometime between 2027 and 2028.

WYCA's funding plan will be discussed at the annual general meeting on 26 June.

Bradford Council - £3,192 455

Calderdale Council - £1,868,754

Kirklees Council - £3,099,017

Leeds City Council - £4,889,906

Wakefield Council - £2,522,818

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