ROADS in Gloucestershire are in need of at least another £100 million of investment for resurfacing, according to a new four-year plan from the county council.

The council has outlined the investment needed in highways in its new ’Build Back Better Gloucestershire’ strategy, which sets out how it will improve local services over the next four years.

Road resurfacing is a key part of the strategy, of which the council says the focus is to create a "a greener, healthier, more prosperous Gloucestershire".

In the draft paper, the council says the extra investment is needed to improve the "resilience" of the network and reduce the number of roads in need of repair.

The council has confirmed that work is underway to secure the necessary funding to make the resurfacing schemes happen.

And the strategy says that residents will "feel the difference right on their doorstep".

"We know there is more to do and we now need to widen our focus to include minor roads", the council says.

"While these roads are generally quieter, they are close to where people live, work or go to school.

"By improving these roads, residents will feel the difference on their doorstep."

Works in the past four years have seen the competition of some 700 schemes, resulting in 507 miles of resurfaced roads.

The council is now aiming to resurface at least another 500 miles of network over the next four years.

The state of local roads came under scrutiny back in December, when the Liberal Democrat group at the council tabled a motion which called for a radical review of the way highways services are delivered.

The opposition councillors said that residents had been living with "crumbling roads and dodgy repairs" for decades, but were left frustrated when the Conservative administration amended their motion to remove all reference to the physical state of the network, and said that current problems were down to supply chain and staffing issues caused by the pandemic.

Some of the other priorities outlined in the four-year plan include ’Tackling Climate Change’, with the authority aiming to produce an action plan to reduce council emissions to net zero by 2030 and countywide by 2045, as well as support businesses and communities "to do their bit".

The council also wants to support ’Sustainable Growth’ through partnership working with all local authorities and stakeholders, and by ensuring that all opportunities to learn new skills, for training and for education are "directly linked" to the future jobs being created.

The strategy also focuses on ’Levelling Up Communities’, including the regeneration of high streets, market towns and neighbourhoods, and helping residents to develop new skills and increase their employment opportunities.

’Securing Investment’ to support major transport developments is another key part of the four-year plan, as are investment programmes to create improved job opportunities.

The council is also looking to "transform" both its Children’s Services and Adult Social Care provision through increased support and improvements in early intervention for both services, as well as Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, by delivering its existing Service Improvement Plan and working to "improve the culture" of the service.

Additionally it will look to improve its customer services, by making it "easier and quicker" for people to find the advice or support they need.

The full plan is available to view online at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/building-back-better-in-gloucestershire.