Rebecca Pow MP has welcomed new dedicated funding from the Government to fill nearly 1 million potholes across the UK, including £1,177,000 to fill an estimated 22,208 potholes locally across Somerset. Local motorists will benefit from the dedicated funding after the Government announced that nearly £50 million of funding will be made available to local councils over the next 12 months. This is part of a wider move to fill 159,076 potholes across the South West with over 100 councils in England receiving funding. The funding has been made available to councils as part of the Government’s £250 million Pothole Action Fund included in last month’s budget, which will see over four million potholes fixed by 2020/21, and is part of the Government’s plan to invest in infrastructure to secure a better future for our economy. Rebecca commented: ‘The state of our roads is consistently raised with me by local residents and remains a great source of frustration for drivers. ‘This new funding is welcome news for families and businesses in Taunton Deane who rely on our roads to get around. I’ve been campaigning for a long time for greater investment in road repairs, and I’m encouraging the council to make full use of their allocation locally. ‘I’m glad that the Government is investing both nationally and locally to improve the standard of our local roads. It shows that we are delivering on our commitment to invest in infrastructure to attract businesses and secure Britain’s future.’