An extra £3m awarded to Bradford Council will help buy “super pothole machines” to improve roads in Ilkley and across the district.
At the most recent meeting of West Yorkshire Combined Authority, £15m of extra cash was awarded to Councils in the region to deal with potholes.
Bradford Council’s share of that cash will be £3,192 455.
At the meeting Bradford Council Leader Stephen Place (Reform, Royds) thanked the authority for the funding, and said the Council would use it to repair 20,000 potholes by April.
Calderdale Council will get £1,868,754, Kirklees Council £3,099,017, Leeds City Council – £4,889,906 and Wakefield Council – £2,522,818.
The money came from the Department for Transport, and is being distributed by WYCA.
Simon Pope, transport capital programme director, told members the extra funding would have “significant” economic benefits for the region, such as reduced vehicle repairs and improved journey times.
A report to members of the committee said the funding would pay for more than 20 kilometres of renewed highways and around 37,000 square metres of carriageway patching to fill potholes.
Last week’s meeting was the first for the Combined Authority since Reform swept to power in many of the Councils that make up the Authority.
The Authority board includes the leader of each Council in West Yorkshire.
Addressing West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin, Councillor Stephen Place, new leader of Bradford Council, said:
“Thanks on behalf of Bradford. It will allow us to explore getting two JCB super pot hole machines.
“I’ve said our target is to deal with 20,000 potholes in the financial year (which ends in April 2027). It is a big target, but we will achieve it.”
Earlier this year Leeds Council trialled speciality pothole repair machines that cut, clean, and preps holes in just eight minutes.
A report to members had said:
“Poor highway conditions across the road network can significantly affect the quality of journeys for all users, lead to congestion and delays, and impact on the cost of motoring for private car users and freight.
“A list of a further 251 highways maintenance interventions has been developed by the partner councils for inclusion in the programme for delivery in 2026/27 which will utilise the additional funding provided by Department for Transport. This funding will realise further highway renewal and carriageway patching work (i.e. pothole fixing).
“Many of the interventions in the wider programme are located within areas where communities experience high levels of deprivation and will therefore support reductions in the cost of motoring for residents.”
Members then approved the funding, with Ms Brabin saying:
“Excellent, good stuff.”
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