BOLTON'S crumbling road network is to get a £16 million boost to tackle potholes.

But town hall chiefs say the money from central government — which will be used over the next six years — is nowhere near enough to remedy an £80 million backlog of roadworks in the borough.

The Department of Transport this week released figures which revealed the council would be given £15,950,000 to spend on repairing potholes.

Cllr David Chadwick said: “We have a backlog of about £80 million in terms of road infrastructure problems and while this money may chip away at it a little bit, it is pretty much only going to cover the bare essentials that we need to do.

“We are still treading water and have an almost impossible task. The backlog means that we are continuously fire fighting when it comes to road repairs.

"This money isn’t something to be celebrated.”

The six-year budget for Bolton is significantly less than Wigan Council’s allocation of more than £20 million but far greater than Bury’s £10,638,000.

The funds are broken down into how much will be received per year, with next year being the most lucrative period for Bolton, in which £3,055,000 will be allocated.

This figure will eventually fall to just under £2.5 million for each year between 2018 and 2021.

A succession of severe winters and the devastating floods earlier this year have left councils playing catch-up with road maintenance.

The Transport Secretary Patrick McGloughlin said that the overall figure of about £4.7 billion shared between 115 English councils would be enough to fix about 18 million potholes across the country.

Mr McLoughlin said: "Roads play a significant part in everyday life. Poorly-maintained local roads, blighted by potholes, are a menace to all road users, particularly during the festive period as people travel to see family and friends.

"It is vital we have good quality roads. This Government has already taken strong action by spending £1 billion more on local roads maintenance than was spent in the previous parliament.

"This funding will put an end to short-term fixes and will mean we have committed £10 billion between 2010 and 2021.

"This huge investment is part of our long-term economic plan to ensure we have a transport network fit for the 21st century."

As well as the allocated funds, councils will also be able to bid for a further £575 million for the maintenance and repair of local highway infrastructure such as bridges and junctions and an extra £578 million has also been put towards an incentive scheme which will reward councils who show they are delivering value for money with cost-effective improvements.

Cllr Chadwick added: "The next six years will be tough again — but this is what we are used to now.

“People think we keep going on about the cuts but we are being penalised by central government and the highways team are doing their very best with scarce resources.”