With Liam Thorp off this week, Rob Parsons spends today's episode looking into one of the perennial bugbears of politicians across the North: potholes.

They're a big issue for voters - and the new Labour government has told local councils they must publicly report on what they're doing to keep our roads fit for driving by June 30 or risk losing their share of an additional £500 million of funding.

In this episode of The Northern Agenda Podcast, we’ll explore what this means for councils, the road maintenance industry, and the communities that depend on well-maintained local roads for driving, cycling and catching the bus across the North.

Rob talks to Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood about the thinking behind the new policy and gets the industry perspective from Newcastle-based David Jobling-Purser, vice-chair of the Road Emulsion Association.

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