A seven-year deal has been agreed by Warwickshire County Council for its new roads maintenance contractor.

Balfour Beatty Living Places has been awarded the contract from.

The deal is a joint contract with Coventry City Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council to "drive better value for money" and "reduce disruption to road users".

Cllr Jennifer Warren, Warwickshire's portfolio holder for transport and planning, said: "The new contract will changes to our existing arrangements, based on feedback that we have received from the public, and we have also managed to keep the overall cost of the contract highly competitive.

"In fact, this increased value for money means that the same amount of work that we carried out last year could be delivered for £1m less in the new contract, unlocking the potential to increase the amount we do for the same spend.

The new contract will see investment in depots. 

A new hub providing real-time information and data analysis -  for example, where potholes and road defects need immediate treatment - will also be created

"The contract also brings innovations such as an improved control hub for better co-ordination and performance management of the work we do, the flexibility to explore new ideas and an expectation of continuous improvement," Cllr Warren added.

"Key to the contract will be continuing the service during freezing winter weather when nearly half of the road network is treated, sometimes multiple times per night. Building on that, we'll be providing innovations like grit bin sensors to ensure that we always have the supplies that we need.

"We're also set up perfectly to focus on prevention rather than cure. For example, getting exceptional value for works that stop potholes forming in the first place rather than chasing them once it's too late.

"Building on the partnership with colleagues in other local authorities and sharing the contract with them, we are confident that it represents the very best value we can get from our investment, one that will bring the best maintenance of our roads for years to come."