The condition of Swansea's roads has remained "roughly static" in recent years despite a maintenance backlog which now exceeds £70m, a senior highways officer said, although data suggests it's actually improved. Bob Fenwick said the rising cost of materials contributed to the "massive backlog" but that he could make inroads into it with expenditure of £7m to £8m per year.
Addressing councillors on a scrutiny panel, Mr Fenwick, Swansea's highways maintenance leader, said: "Is the budget enough? No. But can we manage the network with what we've got? Yes. And am I being supported financially? I believe so."
He said the highways department carried out a bumper £9m of road maintenance in 2020-21 and around £5m per year in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Mr Fenwick said the Welsh Government had not provided a road maintenance grant for the current financial year, which he suspected was due to its preparations for the new 20mph speed limit on residential roads. But he added that the council had provided extra cash.
