HAMPSHIRE County Council will receive extra funding from the Government this year to help fix some of the county's ailing roads.

The authority will receive more than £4m extra from central government to resurface more roads and fill extra potholes in the county, as part of an extra £8.3bn of extra funding for roads across the UK.

The money has come from the PM Rishi Sunak's decision to cancel HS2 Phase 2, and was confirmed in a letter from the Transport Secretary on Thursday, February 8.

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HS2 savings that would have been spent in the North or the Midlands will still be spent there, while savings from the revised arrangements for Euston Station are being shared across the country, including in Hampshire. 

Local authorities are now required to publish the work they have carried out on their websites, with North West Hampshire Kit Malthouse MP working with Hampshire County Council to make sure that the money is put to good use and roads are resurfaced at pace. 

Mr Malthouse said: "This extra money is excellent news for Hampshire’s motorists who will see smoother, faster and safer trips, and importantly, it is all paid for with savings from Phase 2 of HS2.

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"My job is to make sure that our local authority is putting this money to the best use possible and fixing the roads that most need it.

The council now has a requirement to publish quarterly reports on its website summarising the additional work they have done and listing the roads it have resurfaced. 

Mr Malthouse continued: “This funding is much needed especially after the pounding our roads have taken from heavy rain in recent times, and it should save drivers money from unnecessary vehicle damage caused by potholes." 

The £4.2m funding extra announced is on top of the extra £5.9m of extra highway maintenance funding for 2023/24 announced at the Spring Budget. 

Hampshire County Council has been contacted for a comment.