AROUND £33million worth of Government cash will be given to Hampshire and Southampton councils this year to ensure the county’s roads are kept in top condition.

Hampshire County Council (HCC) will receive more than £30million, while Southampton City Council will be handed almost £2.3million from a £1.2billion pot of Government cash set aside for roads.

The funding will be spent to improve roads, cut congestion and improve journey times and includes money from the new National Productivity Investment Fund, announced in the Autumn Statement, and the Pothole Action Fund.

Just over £2.1million of Hampshire’s £31,068,000 funding will be put towards filling potholes across the county, while nearly £24million will be used on highway maintenance.

The remaining money - just over £5million - has been provided by Government’s National Productivity Investment fund, created for local highway and local transport improvements.

This aims to reduce congestion at key locations, upgrade or improve the maintenance of local highway assets, improve access to employment and housing, and develop economic and job creation opportunities.

Roy Perry, leader of Hampshire County Council, said the amount Hampshire will receive looks to be a “slight increase” on what it would be given normally.

He added: “Most of the announcement is not new money but there does some to be some addition.

“What we particularly welcome is that it is concentrating on capital funding enabling us to work on getting the roads in good condition for the long term rather than only making short-term repairs.

“However, our priorities have been dealing with the adverse weather conditions and we will give a more careful analysis of this announcement in the coming days.”

Of Southampton’s £2,295,000 funding, £137,000 will be allocated on filling potholes, and just over £1.5million will be used for highway maintenance.

The remaining £644,000 has been provided by the National Productivity Investment fund.

Councils can also bid for a share of an extra £75million set aside for the repair and maintenance of infrastructure such as bridges, street lighting and rural roads.

Three roads in Hampshire are eligible – the A27 between Fareham and Gosport, the M275 between Fareham and Cosham and the stretch of road between A36 Wigley and Totton.

More than £11.6 million is also being allocated to the South East to tackle potholes. The money is enough to fix around 220,000 potholes this year.

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: “Roads play a significant part in everyday life linking people with jobs and businesses with customers, which is why this government is investing record amounts improving and maintaining highways across the country to help motorists.

“The funding we have allocated today is focused on relieving congestion and providing important upgrades to ensure our roads are fit for the future - helping to build an economy that works for everyone.”