BASINGSTOKE'S MP has welcomed major funding given to the county council to help improve Hampshire roads.

As previously reported, Transport Secretary Mark Harper set out the allocations of an £8.3bn national long-term plan, enough to resurface over 5,000 miles of road across the country over the next 11 years. 

Local highway authorities in the southeast, including Hampshire, will each receive a share of the £734m which they can use to fix roads. The money has been redirected from the now-scrapped HS2 plans.

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This will see Hampshire County Council receive an extra £132m between 2023/24 and 2033/34.

This comes on top of an additional £17m for extra funding that has already been provided for pothole repairs and road maintenance this year.  

Dame Maria said: "This funding boost marks the biggest ever investment for local road improvements.

"In addition to the extra funding announced earlier in the year (£10m for structural repairs and £7m for day-to-day maintenance) Hampshire County Council will receive £132m which will be invested in road improvements and pothole repairs.

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"Good roads mean good connectivity which is critical to cutting journey times. Be it to take children to school, visit friends or get to work, Basingstoke residents use cars to get around more than any other form of transport.  

‘’But as well as being important for families, it is also crucial for businesses who need reliable transport routes for their suppliers and employees. Brilliant transport links are one of the reasons why Basingstoke is the most productive part of Hampshire.

"Innumerable small businesses rely on roads to transport goods, and we have already seen a substantial amount of investment in our infrastructure over the past decade.

"£46m has been invested in roads alone and a total of seven roundabouts have been renovated, the most recent example being the Brighton Hill roundabout.  

"Continued infrastructure investment will be critical in keeping Basingstoke as the economic powerhouse of Hampshire and residents can be assured that I will work with the county council to ensure that Basingstoke sees its proportion of funding.’’