Bexley’s roads have been ranked the seventh best in England, according to figures released by the Department for Transport (DfT). The assessment covers all A, B and C roads, as well as residential streets nationwide.
The borough is one of only four in London, and 26 across England, to achieve a Green rating for overall road condition. Bexley also received a Green rating for funding, reflecting that a significant portion of its highways maintenance budget comes directly from the Council rather than relying solely on DfT contributions.
Each year, the Council repairs around 2,500 potholes and, over the last five years, has resurfaced or restructured roughly 300 sections of road, with most of the investment coming from its own resources.
Cllr Richard Diment, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “We work hard and invest millions of pounds each year in maintaining and improving our highways network. This data shows that Bexley’s roads are among the best in the country and London and we’d like to thank the Council’s highways officers and our contractors for their work every day inspecting and repairing our roads. There is always more to do and we continue to look at how we can make our roads even better and encourage residents to report any issues they are aware of through Fix My Street. During the winter period with changes in temperature, rain and ice we also take action to keep our roads safe with gritting and we respond to the additional potholes and damage to roads that the weather causes. We also engage with utilities companies to press them to minimise the disruption caused by works that they are responsible for.”
The Department for Transport has confirmed that Bexley Council will receive the full allocation of £895,000 for highways capital projects. This comes after a Member of Parliament provided incorrect information in the House of Commons, which had prompted threats to withhold funding.
Cllr David Leaf, Leader of the Council, said: “Our works programme and plans to invest in our highways has once again been approved by the Department of Transport. This is a sign of confidence in our performance. It’s disappointing that the Prime Minister and a Member of Parliament tried to put this funding at risk by spreading misinformation, but the facts speak for themselves and it’s time they apologised.”
