Nearly £24 million planned investment to tackle potholes for safer, smoother streets

This winter brought more rainfall than average which has led to roads across the UK needing more maintenance. To minimise the impact of this locally, we plan to invest an additional £12 million over the next four years to help with repairs to potholes, upgrading road surfaces and improving street accessibility across Islington. This is on top off the £11.7 million already approved for the next four years and will mean local people benefit from safer and smoother streets. 

Any new investment could support: 

• More resurfacing and replacement of roads. 

• Fewer potholes on the borough’s roads. 

• Improved pavements and crossings that are safer for people with mobility needs, wheelchair users and families with buggies. 

• Keeping other highways structures safe such as bridges. 

• Smoother, safer cycling routes across the borough. 

• Better, safer streets that help people feel proud of where they live. 

This potential investment would allow us to step up our borough-wide programme of resurfacing, transport and neighbourhood improvements, and to reduce the need for ad hoc pothole repairs. This forms part of Islington’s wider commitment to creating more people friendly neighbourhoods where walking, wheeling and cycling are safe, accessible and convenient for everyone. 

Cllr Flora Williamson, Executive Member for Finance and Performance, said:  

“Unfortunately, we are seeing a national rise in the number of potholes developing, caused in part by the more extreme weather we are seeing due to the climate crisis. The wetter weather we saw over winter has caused more damage and potholes on our roads. We are doing everything we can to minimise the impact of this in Islington. That’s why we plan to invest a further £3million per year for the next four years, in addition to the £2.9million average a year already approved.   

“Local people deserve streets that are safe, accessible and pleasant to use. This new investment will supercharge our efforts to fix potholes, improve road surfaces and make it easier for local people to get around. We will continue to prioritise streets that matter most to local people. We will be carrying out surveys to identify roads most in need of repair and feedback from residents, community groups and disability organisations will help us focus on areas of improvement and identify problem areas.” 

This funding is currently subject to Full Council approval. The next Full Council meeting taking place on Thursday 2 July.  

Local people can report a problem with a road or pavement via the Love Clean Streets phone app (available on Google Play or the Apple store). Or you can report issues using MyIslington on our website.