Gen Kitchen MP: Reform have had the money, now they need to fix the roads

In the months that followed I wrote to the relevant Minister to highlight the state of the roads in Wellingborough and Rushden and was thrilled to see the Labour Government provide an extra £3m to North Northamptonshire Council to sort the potholes – taking the total government funding to more than £12m for 2025/2026.

In the first year after my election, 14,350 potholes were fixed, more than in each of the three years previous. But we could all see that the roads were still not good enough.

I wrote to the last leader of the council asking serious questions about their road contractor but never received full answers to the issues I raised. Then came the local elections and the council was won by Reform. It was only fair that I let them have a good six months to get a grip on the issue. But that time is up. Now I want to see action.

Almost every day we hear of a pothole repair reopening or a new one forming, costing drivers hundreds of pounds of damage to their cars. With record funds being given to tackle the problem across the country, there is no longer any excuse for this.

With extra money, comes extra accountability. For the first time, residents are able to see how effectively their councils are spending this record investment to fix potholes, resurface roads and bring pride back to our communities.

The traffic light style ratings will also be used to measure progress, and will be published annually to give councils the opportunity to demonstrate improvement.

I have been monitoring North Northamptonshire Council’s use of these funds closely and was disappointed to see that they have recently been given only an amber rating. I have written to the local authority to express this disappointment and to encourage them to use every penny of record funding to improve local roads.

The Labour Government is ending the sticking-plaster approach and moving towards long-term, integrated settlements, empowering councils to deliver better roads for local people. Now it’s time for Reform to make sure that happens.

My constituents expect, and deserve, better than this Reform council is currently delivering and I will continue to hold them to account until we see our roads reach an acceptable standard.