Residents in Wilmslow are not alone in the country for noticing the declining state of our roads in recent years.

So, we would have all been delighted to hear that when the HS2 extension between Birmingham and Manchester was cancelled the previous government announced that the £4.7bn of the ‘saved expense’ would be handed to councils in the North and the Midlands to help with roads and transport.

Since that original announcement, there has been a General Election and a new government is in place.

The previous government planned to allocate HS2 funds to local councils for resurfacing and repairing roads.

It was a statement of intent, not a fact. The fact is, it hasn’t happened.

If you’re interested in a bit more detail, read on.

According to the DfT website, Cheshire Easts allocation of funds would have been £180,716 over 7 years ( or £25,816 a year on average )**

Cheshire Easts current years budgeted expense on roads and transport is £15.8M* , so £25,816 whilst welcome, wouldn’t have filled many potholes.

The original announcement stated that these funds would be allocated between 2025 and 2032 after government department spending reviews.

The previous plans as outlined above have been put on hold. The government department spending review is due to complete in the Spring of next year.

This ‘saved expense’ is not cash in the bank right now to spend. It was a budgeted future expense that would have been used on HS2. A new government might have different priorities or ideas.

*Council Tax budgets and spending (cheshireeast.gov.uk)

**Local Transport Fund allocations 2025 to 2032 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Another look on the Cheshire East website shows that their Highways department use our council tax to look after:

Road Sweeping

Gully Emptying

Verge Maintenance

Weed Treatment

Street Lighting

Winter Gritting

Road Safety

Pothole Filling

And with a grant from the Department of Transport which all councils get, as well as a top up from our council tax, they also look after:

Carriageway Patching

Resurfacing/Surface Dressing

Bridges & Structures

Drainage Works

Traffic Signals

Lining Works

Road Signage

Barriers, walls & fencing