'Use road fund for snow'
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THE SHORTFALL on the road budget should be used to finance snow clearing, especially in South-east England, the Automobile Association said last week.
It was commenting on the fact that, in South-east England, only Oxfordshire overspent sufficiently on snow clearance last year for it to been entitled to Government assistance, and even then it will get only about £90,000 to meet an overspend ing bill of £936,000.
Surrey County Council, which spent £800,000 and budgeted for £500,000 last year, will not gel anything, as the Governmenl has agreed only to meet three. quarters of additional costs over the amount raised on a penny rate.
The AA believes that a national fund of £50m a year is needed to meet snow clearing commitments, and that as the road budget was underspent by £75m last year, this could be the source of funds.
And it points out that as the South-east road network is the country's busiest, the effect of it being blocked by snow is much greater. There will be higher returns, it says, if money is devoted to clearing those roads than others elsewhere.