The Big Freeze that hit Britain this winter inflicted massive damage on our road network. Snow, ice and plummeting temperatures not only made it the severest winter in 30 years, they also left a moonscape of pitted and potholed roads to be repaired up and down the country.

Councils have been working flat out to repair the most severely affected roads. But they still face a significant, and expensive, task to fix the lesser damage which, if left, would become a danger to road users and increasingly expensive to repair.

That’s why in yesterday’s Budget, the Government announced an extra £100 million funding for local authorities to help put the damage right - including an extra £108,300 for Hartlepool. Rapid and decisive action to ensure that our roads are in the best possible condition before next winter.

And to make sure it is spent on our roads, the money will be ring-fenced, with each local authority publishing a brief report on the work they’ve carried out with the funding.

This means the funding will go where it should go – to plug the potholes. And we’ll be able to make sure that Hartlepool has made the repairs properly and spent the money wisely.

You’ll also be pleased to know that the Government has recently announced plans to make sure utility companies repair roads properly after carrying out their work. Taken together, it is clear proof of our determination to tackle maintenance problems and make our local roads safe and fit for purpose.

All this comes on top of a trebling in Government investment for local road maintenance over the past decade – up from £265 million in 2000/01 to £809 million in 2010/11.

But we understand we must also look forward to help avoid another sudden deterioration in road conditions in the future. So, we will be encouraging local authorities to focus on longer term resurfacing and maintenance work.

All this demonstrates that when things go wrong, this Government is on your side. Taking the decisions in the interest of the many and not the few and working to make the road ahead as smooth as possible.