A MULTIMILLION-pound cash injection for the city’s roads, paths and green spaces has been announced as part of this year’s city council budget.

Residential roads across the city could be set for an £8million funding boost – as transport bosses look to halve the time it takes to fill potholes.

Plans also include an extra £400,000 for street cleaning and £100,000 for the city’s parks and green spaces.

Dubbed “the people’s budget” by Labour chiefs, the proposals could create up to 40 new jobs.

But city residents will also be asked to pay an extra 5.99 per cent on their council tax bill this year – if current proposals get the green light.

The ruling Labour party says the increase, which is the maximum amount without triggering a referendum, will cover the rising costs of adult social care.

But opposing Conservatives say the rise is “excessive”.

Announcing the budget, council leader, Simon Letts, pictured right, said: “This is Labour’s people’s budget.

“We are giving the people of Southampton what they want.

“We are investing in the services the people of Southampton care about.”

The biggest investment announced in the budget, for 2018/19, is for the city’s roads.

In total, £1.1 million of council money will be invested this year.

Of that, £800,000 will be used to cover the cost of borrowing an extra £8 million.

That money will be used to repair and improve many of the city’s residential roads.

The remaining £300,000 will be used to change the city’s pothole criteria – which could see the time it takes to fill “small” potholes reduced from up to two months to a matter of weeks.

City streets could be given a spruce-up thanks to £400,000 investment – which could fund up to 20,000 extra hours of cleaning.

Another £400,000 will go towards improving the city’s heritage sites ahead of the Mayflower 400 celebrations in 2019.

The council also hopes to spend up to £250,000 on boosting its enforcement teams, to help tackle anti-social behaviour.

This includes reinstating the council’s noise complaints service on week nights.

An extra £200,000 will go towards eight new staff for the council’s customer service team.

Civic chiefs have said the money comes from a boost to the amount raised in business rates – with the council set to pull in an extra £2.5 million this year.

But the authority said it remained under financial pressure due to reductions in government grants and the increasing cost of adult social care.

According to a report, set to be discussed by councillors later this month, the authority spends £611 million a year on services.

Of that, almost 30 per cent is spent on adult social care – much of which funds care home and care at home services.

The council predicts an extra £3.4 million in added costs for adult social care in 2018/19.

As a result, the council plans to raise tax by 5.99 per cent – 2.99 per cent under general powers and three per cent for social care.

Councillor Letts said the total precept rise, which was expected to bring in around £2.5 million, would be solely used to cover the added cost of social care.

But it would mean residents in band D properties having to fork-out an extra £84 per year.

It follows on from a 1.99 per cent rise last year.

And it means band D residents would have to pay £1,490 for their city council precept – plus the cost of fire and policing.

Councillor Letts said the rise equated to just £1.25 a week for band B properties.

The Labour chief, who hailed the proposal as a “no cuts budget”, also said the rise was worth the investment.

Conservative opposition leader Jeremy Moulton said he was pleased to see money being invested into the city.

However, he was critical of the rise in council tax.

Councillor Moulton said: “I think it’s excessive, particularly at a time when people are struggling to make ends meet.”

He also criticised Labour for a “failure” to make previously proposed savings.

The draft budget, which comes ahead of May’s election, is set to be debated by full council on Wednesday, February 21.