Transport Secretary Mark Harper has set out the allocations as part of an £8.3 billion national plan, enough to resurface 5,000 miles of road across the country over the next 11 years.

Yesterday (Friday 17 November) the Transport Secretary announced that local highway authorities in the East of England, including in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, will each receive a share of £609 million. 

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:

"Most people travel by road and potholes can cause misery for motorists, from expensive vehicle repairs to bumpy, slow, and dangerous journeys.

"Today's biggest ever funding uplift for local road improvements is a victory for all road users, who will enjoy smoother, faster, and safer trips - as we use redirected HS2 funding to make the right long-term decisions for a brighter future."

Essex is proposed to receive £121,205,000 over the next 11 years and will receive £3,870,000 this financial year. This will be followed by a further £3,870,000 for 2024/2025, with the rest of the funding allocated through to 2034.

RAC Head of Policy, Simon Williams said:

"We hope local authorities will use the money in the most effective way possible by resurfacing the very worst roads, keeping those in reasonable condition in better states for longer, and filling potholes as permanently as possible"

To increase transparency and ensure the £8.3 billion leads to an increase in the number of reads being resurfaced, local authorities will be required to publish information on their websites on a regular basis explaining how they are spending the funding in their area. 

The new reporting requirement will see local highway authorities publishing their road resurfacing plans on their websites by March 2024.