TWO councillors have hit out at the county council after it was revealed that Richmondshire has missed out on a share of a multi-million pound Government grant for winter road repairs.

County councillors Stuart Parsons and John Blackie, who both represent wards in Richmondshire, said they are appalled that the district will not see any of the £6.6m windfall, despite its roads bearing the brunt of three harsh winters.

North Yorkshire County Council has defended the decision, saying the £6.6m was allocated through an objective process and that Richmondshire could benefit from a further £2.6m available.

Repair projects in Hambleton, Harrogate, Ryedale and Scarborough have been given the green light but councillors in Selby complained after the district also missed out on funding.

Coun Parsons said state of the roads was the key issue for people in the district during recent local elections.

"I’m furious about this," he said. "There are some incredible potholes across the district. They say its a robust process for deciding which projects received funding but we don’t know because we weren’t allowed to take part.

"People don’t get a lot from the county council if they live in rural areas and they at least expect decent roads. At the moment they are not even getting that."

Coun Blackie said: "It is utterly unbelievable, and nothing short of a travesty, that not one penny of the £6.6m grant is coming to Richmondshire.

"Is it that funds were allocated by the volume of traffic using the roads, which completely overlooks the rural nature of the county, and will eventually reduce the quieter roads in small rural communities to an obstacle course along disintegrating road surfaces with deep holes and collapsing edges?"

In a statement, a spokeswoman for North Yorkshire County Council said: "So far the county council has allocated £2m purely for patch repairs, recognising that all areas have suffered potholing.

"Richmondshire has received approximately £240k from this funding.

"The £6.6m grant from government has been targeted at national primary routes, taking into account usage, road condition and risk.

"There is a further £2.6m yet to allocate, this funding is to be targeted at more minor roads and there are a number of schemes in Richmondshire that are being assessed."