Highways chief says ‘every penny’ of £2.4m funding boost will be spent on district’s roads

Matthew Morley said he wanted to ‘dispel rumors’ on social media that the money would be wasted on bureaucracy rather than improving key infrastructure.

The council’s cabinet members agreed to accept the sum from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) at a meeting on Tuesday (June 17).

The funding has been earmarked to be split into two areas, with £1.4m going towards work on local roads and around £1m being used to make improvements to footpaths.

Coun Morley told the meeting: “It’s really welcome. I think we all know when we are out speaking to people in the district or on Facebook how important the district’s highways are to everybody.

“Just to dispel any rumours that this money will be swallowed up, will go into administration and you won’t see a penny of it – well, it will all go into highways improvement, I can guarantee that.”

According to a report, the extra funding will go towards improvements at Wrenthorpe Bypass, Carr Gate; Common Lane, Upton; Bacon Avenue, Normanton; Barnsley Road, South Elmsall; Pope Street, Whitwood; St Pauls Drive , Alverthorpe; Standbridge Lane, Kettlethorpe, and Thornes Moor Road, Thornes.

Jack Hemingway, the council’s deputy leader, said: “I think it is incredibly important that we are getting more money to improve our highways.

“It’s quite transparent and open when you look at this report.

“You can see the areas that are going to benefit.

“There are schemes right across every area of the Wakefield district.”

In January, the council announced plans to invest £20m to improve roads over the next two years.

The authority is responsible for maintaining 1,454 km of roads, 1,944 km of footways, and 150 km of cycle lanes and tracks.

Last year, it carried out repairs to over 3,100 potholes and expects to spend over £1m on further pothole repairs in 2025.

Coun Morley added: “It’s the biggest asset the council owns and it is a challenge to maintain it all.

“But we punch above our weight with the money that we do get.”