A local authority has stressed it will “not back down” until it gets the £50 million needed to tackle the number of potholes plaguing its streets.

Medway Council leader Cllr Vince Maple has pledged to continue to lobby central government for more funding to improve the condition of the roads.

The council receives just under £3.2 million a year from Whitehall for road upkeep. This year, however, it has been given an additional £400,000 from the Department for Transport (DfT).

But Cllr Maple believes this amount is “totally unfair for residents and motorists” who use Medway’s roads.

On Tuesday, April 9, Medway’s Cabinet members sent a letter to Guy Opperman MP, the Minister for Roads and Local Transport, requesting an urgent meeting to discuss the challenges faced in maintaining its 514 miles of roads and tackling the growing number of potholes.

In a reply, Mr Opperman is said to have questioned the amount of funding Medway says it needs.

“The Minister for Roads and Local Transport has put in black and white that Medway has been allocated an additional £12m to be used towards addressing the condition of the roads,” said Cllr Maple.

“Medway’s pocket has only seen a fraction of this – with just £802K additional funding allocated for two years. This year’s £401K is only covering 11 roads.

“We will not back down until Medway receives the funding support it so desperately needs to repair potholes and resurface significant stretches of road.

“At the moment, we simply do not have the funds to carry out all the repair works, and to the high quality our residents would expect, and quite frankly deserve.”

Medway currently has a list of more than 2,000 potholes which require attention, and the authority recognises the actual number across the Towns will likely be higher.

The authority plans to improve roads, including City Way, Rochester, which will receive the greatest share for this year at £112,800.

Montgomery Road, Gillingham, will get £52,500 and Wayfield Road, Chatham, will be allocated £26,600.

While some roads will be improved, others are to miss out.

Hempstead Valley Drive has been allocated £8,700 for road improvements but nearby Hempstead Road, which many argue should be a greater priority, will not see any cash.

Cllr Maple added: “We are currently using diminishing funds to carry out immediate plugging of the worst potholes, but this is just a temporary fix to quickly address safety concerns - this does not solve the problem.

“There are roads across Medway which now require a full resurfacing repair, but we simply do not have the money or resources to also carry out this essential work.

“We know we are not alone with the poor state of our roads, but we will continue to encourage government to revisit the budget allocated to Medway Council to allow us to sufficiently maintain our roads and help keep Medway moving.”

In the 2023-24 financial year, Medway Council repaired 16,373 potholes - a 35.9% increase in repairs compared to the year before.

Resident Michael Kearsey-Lawson told KentOnline he was surprised Hempstead Road was not a priority for the council.

He said: “The road is really bad, there’s huge breaks down the middle for stretches and it’s pitted with potholes all along.

“I am really surprised it isn’t near the top of the list for repair because it’s such a problem.

“It’s not just the road, the pavements need looking at too. My wife has to use a mobility scooter and as she goes along she’s rocking back and forth because it’s uneven and full of holes.”

The authority says it needs £50m to bring all its roads up to standard and fix the approximate 2,000 potholes.

In 2023, 4,113 pothole complaints were reported and 19,129 were fixed.