Potholes the big issue for Lincolnshire County Council’s new highways boss Michael Cheyne

Michael Cheyne has been appointed the new executive member for highways and transport at Lincolnshire County Council.

The Reform UK councillor for the Boston West division was named as part of the council’s new Cabinet during its Annual General Meeting on Friday, May 23.

His portfolio will cover highways, transport and traffic management.

The brief was previously overseen by Coun Richard Davies while the council was under Conservative control.

Following Reform UK’s rise to power—winning 44 of the 70 available seats—Davies has become leader of the opposition, with the Conservatives now holding 14 seats.

Coun Cheyne said he was 'very happy to represent the people', but admitted he had 'an awful lot of reading up to do'.

When asked what the biggest issue affecting his portfolio was, he responded without hesitation: potholes.

“There are so many issues with Lincolnshire’s roads, particularly the B roads,” he said.

“My primary aim is twofold: to increase and improve the safety of the roads—however that might be achieved, which is an enormous task I need to look into—as well as doing it as cost-effectively as we can manage.

“Obviously, everything has to be done to a budget, but it’s what we can achieve within that budget that best serves the people of Lincolnshire in a way that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re revisiting the same piece of road in just a few years’ time.”

The North Hykeham Relief Road has been one of Lincolnshire’s biggest highways projects in development for the past two decades, described as the next 'link in the chain' to completing a ring road around the city of Lincoln.

However, despite the previous Conservative administration committing £110 million to the project in 2019, Labour Transport Secretary Louise Haigh launched an internal review of the Department for Transport’s capital spending portfolio in July 2024, putting the project at risk.

Nearly a year on, no update has been given on the status of the funding. Lincolnshire County Council has continued progressing with its plans as intended.

According to the council, the most likely cost of the scheme is estimated at £193.9 million, meaning Government funding would cover around 56.7 per cent of the total.

When asked for his thoughts on the situation, Coun Cheyne admitted it was one area he still needed to 'read up on', but said that 'clearly, from a value to Lincolnshire point of view', the project is very important.