A huge £10million spending programme for road repairs will go ahead, after the chief executive used emergency powers to push ahead with the plans despite the coronavirus shutdown.

Reading Borough Council (RBC) can now drive ahead with a new £10.4million investment package to repair road surfaces, pavements and footpaths over the next three years.

The road repair programme was approved by the chief executive in consultation with council leader Jason Brock on Wednesday.

Councillor Tony Page, lead member for strategic environment, planning and transport, said the programme is “Reading’s biggest ever investment in new road surfaces for residential streets”.

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The schedule for the repairs may be affected by the coronavirus pandemic, however. Preparatory work had been scheduled to begin in April.

A council spokesman said there is “flexibility within the contract to take account of Covid-19, which will ultimately determine when we can start on site.”

The strategic environment, planning and transport committee committee was unable to meet on March 16 to vote on the plan due to the coronavirus crisi.

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Local authority meetings have been cancelled across the UK as part of the lockdown to stop the spread of the disease.

Plans for a £9 million capital spend on roads was in the council’s budget for the next three years, approved in February.

An additional £1.4million has been awarded to the council by the Department for Transport for 2020/21.

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The council will invest £3million in the first year of the programme (2020-21), with £2.5million to be spent on residential roads and £500,000 on newly laid pavements and footpaths.

Around 92 roads could be resurfaced in the first year of the programme, prioritised by those in the worst condition.

Click here for a full list of the first roads to be resurfaced.

In total, 539 roads are earmarked for resurfacing over the full length of the three-year programme, which runs until 2023.

For the full list, click here.

Councils across the UK are now able to hold meetings virtually, after new government legislation was passed this week.

Leader of the council Jason Brock said he hopes the council will be ready to hold online meetings by the end of the month.