Funding to repair damaged roads in Swindon has been slashed by a quarter for the coming year.

Figures released by the Department for Transport show Swindon Borough Council will receive £3.5 million to maintain roads in 2021-22.

That is £1.2m less than the £4.7m provided in the current financial year – a reduction of 26 per cent.

Across England, road maintenance funding has been cut by £400m for the coming year, with £1.1 billion to be handed out to councils and combined authorities.

The funding includes £500 million to repair potholes, with £1.6 million going to Swindon as part of its allocation.

The DfT estimates the money for the borough could repair 31,100 potholes.

In addition, Swindon will also receive £1.4m for transport improvement projects such as road safety schemes, cycle ways and bus lanes for 2021-22 – an increase of £11,000 compared to this financial year.

A council spokesman said: “Any funding we receive for road maintenance is very welcome and helps to pay for everyday pothole repairs and more permanent surfacing works such as those recently completed in north Swindon.

“We are very proactive when it comes to bidding for funding that can be used for road repairs and we will be actively looking to secure any additional money which may be available later in the year.

“It is also worth pointing out that a number of Swindon’s major junctions are benefitting from significant investment, which will result in significant stretches of new and improved road surfaces, thanks to the tens of millions of pounds the council has secured from the government.”

But the Labour group of councillors’ spokesman on transport Claire Crilly said: “Swindon’s roads are already in a poor state – recent AA figures show that just 1 per cent of potholes on major routes in Swindon were fixed.

"The news that funding to repair potholes is being cut by a quarter is only going to make the situation worse.

“It appears the government is trying to quietly scale back its promises to councils and do them out of the cash they desperately need.

“People in Swindon are crying out for roads to be repaired. When we say ‘Swindon deserves better’ it’s for exactly things like this.”

Road maintenance funding is allocated to councils and combined authorities based on a formula which uses the length of roads, number of bridges and level of street lighting.

The County Councils Network – which represents England's county councils – warns the reduction in funding across the country means local authorities will "have no choice" but to cancel planned road maintenance projects.

A DfT spokesperson said: “We know high-quality local roads make a difference to people’s lives, which is why we have committed £1.125bn to local roads maintenances for 2021-22, including £500m from the Potholes Fund which will allow the equivalent of 10 million potholes to be rectified by local councils.”