HAMPSHIRE will get millions of pounds to help improve its roads and footpaths.

The Government has announced it will give Hampshire County Council £6.1million of additional capital funding over the next two financial years. It will be split into £3.9m in 2013-14 and £2.1m in 2014-15.

Councillor Mel Kendal, executive member for environment and transport at the county council, said: “Highways maintenance is one of our top priorities. Over three years ago, we made a commitment to invest in a multi-million pound long-term strategy, with Operation Resilience, to refurbish our highway infrastructure with the focus being on improving structural resilience of Hampshire’s roads and footways.

“This additional funding will enable us to extend the scope of work to include schemes we would not have had the money to do otherwise.”

As previously reported in The Gazette, Operation Resilience started after criticism of the county council’s response to heavy snowfall at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010.

Ice and snow left roads in Basingstoke and the rest of the county pockmarked with potholes.

In the current financial year, the operation has strengthened more than 150 miles of roads and footpaths, making them more resilient to more extreme weather conditions.

The cash boost is on top of the £60m spent per year by the county council on general highways maintenance.

The county council will now begin to decide where to spend the money over the next two years.