Hampshire transport boss Cllr Sean Woodward says a Government grant of £140m is not enough to fix potholes

The county is due to receive £140m to spend on its badly damaged and crumbling roads over the next six years.

But Conservative transport chief Seán Woodward says the money is insufficient to cover the huge task he faces and accused Westminster of “whittling away” his budget.

Meanwhile Southampton City Council will get £9m to fix their worst affected roads from the new year until 2021.

The Government’s announcement follows a succession of severe winters and devastating floods badly damaging stretches of carriageway and leaving councils desperately playing catch-up with road maintenance.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the total package will plug more than 18 million potholes.

However Cllr Woodward has hit out at the scheme saying that last winter’s floods alone caused £36m of damage.

“It’s concerning that having got to this position the money is being whittled away over six years,” he told the Daily Echo.

“We are going to have to fight for the challenged fund and work extremely hard for resilience in road repairs.

“Our priority is to keep Hampshire moving but it’s going to be more difficult with officers spending more time filling out competitive bids rather than organising repairs.”

But Southampton City Council transport cabinet member Jacqui Rayment was thankful for the cash.

Cllr Jacqui Rayment

She said: “Our road network is the city’s largest infrastructure asset. This grant funding announced by the Government is in line with what we anticipated and will be used to maintain and enhance our roads and bridges over the next six years.”

Mr McLoughlin said the investment represents part of the Government’s long-term economic plan and will put an end to “short-term fixes” in road repairs.