Letter to the Editor by Lee Scott, Essex county councillor responsible for highways.

I know how important well-maintained roads are not just to support the Essex economy, but also to residents’ quality of life.

After the cold snap we’ve just experienced, followed by the more recent wet weather, it is inevitable that there will have been some deterioration on the Essex road network. This is not unusual and happens to a degree every year.

Essex residents can rest assured road maintenance, including the repair of potholes, remains a high priority for us here at Essex County Council.

Residents are well aware we are all facing challenging financial times – Essex County Council included. All council budgets are under pressure and highways is no different.

Essex has around 5,000 miles of roads, the equivalent of travelling overland from Chelmsford to Beijing. It is one of the largest road networks in the country, with a mix of urban and rural roads, which each bring their own challenges.

Within the context of rising inflation and cost of living pressures we are having to focus our limited resources on the most important and vital services.

For maintenance of our road network, this means keeping drivers and pedestrians across Essex safe. Our limited resources do mean we have to prioritise issues, but if something is dangerous, we will fix it.

We are expecting significant further funding from the Government next month to invest specifically in pothole repairs, an issue I know is of great importance to residents.

We have additional ways to make our resources go further, for example exploring new technologies, introducing our councillor-led pothole repair scheme and utilising the local knowledge of our Local Highways Panels. This drive to innovate and do more will continue.

During 2022, Essex Highways repaired and made safe nearly 10,000 footway and carriageway defects and since April this year teams have cleansed over 103,000 gullies and other highway drainage assets to reduce the risk of flooding.

Our dedicated crews work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to maintain the county’s roads.

They work incredibly hard, and I must express my thanks to them for their efforts.

However, on a network as big as ours we can’t know everything, so we ask the public to act as partners.

If you see a pothole or other highway issue you are concerned about, or a pothole that has got worse recently, please report it online at essexhighways.org/tell-us.

Our 2023/2024 budget proposals will be announced in the coming days, and I assure residents across Essex that keeping them safely moving on the county’s roads will remain our foremost concern.