A total of 28 councils across England have won a share of £275 million to fund one-off road upgrades as part of a government project to regenerate local areas, particularly those outside London and the south-east.

Overall, 31 projects are covered by the Challenge Fund, ranging from Brighton to Northumberland. These include installing street lighting, replacing dilapidated bridges and work on the roads themselves, as well as safety and drainage improvements. The funding is part of the £6 billion promised for road upgrades, which was announced in the chancellor’s autumn statement in December 2014.
The transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “Good quality local roads are essential for people to get on with their daily business and today’s announcement will provide extra capacity where it is needed most. This government has put record funding in place for local roads as part of our long-term economic plan to improve journeys, create jobs and drive economic growth.”