Labour to fix one million potholes per year under new ‘Plan for Drivers’
Labour’s bid for the motorists’ vote includes funding for potholes, an investigation into unfair car insurance practices and a reform for road building and EV charging planning systems
The Labour Party has announced its very own ‘Plan For Drivers’ ahead of the 2024 general election, pledging to fix “up to one million” potholes a year and crack down on rising car insurance costs.
Up until now, the Conservative Party has branded the opposition as “waging a war on drivers”. However, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, says that the new policies, which include £320 million (£64 million per year) for local pothole repairs across the country, show that “Labour is the only party truly on the side of drivers”.
Keir Starmer’s party says it will tackle the issue of inflated car insurance costs by “urging” the Competition and Markets Authority, as well as the Financial Conduct Authority, to launch investigations into whether the usage of postcodes to determine pricing is “unfairly targeting ethnic minorities and those on lower incomes”.
Labour has also pledged to eliminate barriers that are slowing down upgrades to the UK’s infrastructure. This will comprise a reform of our current planning system, which Labour says would help drive down the “soaring” costs of road building.
Along the same lines, Labour says it will remove the planning barriers that are currently slowing down the deployment of the UK’s charging infrastructure. The party states that it intends to provide local councils with “better guidance” in terms of where and how to deploy charge points and make more effective use of funds.
In an effort to make roads safer, Labour says it will introduce a new ‘Strategic Framework for Road Safety’, replacing the one set out by the Tory and Lib Dem coalition all the way back in 2011. At this stage it’s unknown what this will entail, although Welsh Labour has previously been keen on introducing 20mph speed limits in local areas in a bid to improve pedestrian safety.
Finally, Labour says its support of public transport, such as a new publicly-owned rail service and the creation of 1,300 new bus routes, will help free up space on the roads and thus cut traffic.
Labour’s full manifesto is due to be unveiled tomorrow (Thursday 13 June), following the launch of the Conservative Party’s on Tuesday 11 June. The Green Party and Liberal Democrats also announced their policies for the election this week, with Reform UK set to lay out its pledges on Monday (17 June).
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