TORFAEN council's highways budget is £1million less than last year, a report has revealed.

The council's safer communities overview and scrutiny committee has requested a report on how funding for highways maintenance is prioritised ahead of a meeting next week.

It comes as the total highways capital allocation for 2018/19 is just £400,000.

In 2017/18 the allocation was £1.4million, in the two years prior to that it was £1.57million, while in 2013/14 it stood at £1.86million.

However, the core funding for highways maintenance has consistently stood at £400,000 since 2010/11, but in previous years prudential borrowing and Welsh Government cash has boosted the fund significantly.

"Since 2011 the capital allocation of £3.6m for highway schemes has consistently been bolstered by prudential borrowing in the sum of nearly £7.5m, over double the annual TCBC (Torfaen County Borough Council) core capital," a council report says.

"It would be logical to deduce that the fall in roads in poor condition in Torfaen would be as a result of this annual level of investment.

"It would also be logical to deduce that removal of this additional money will lead to a significant decline in the performance indicators removing the ability of engineers to focus on the unclassified network."

The report says the allocation covers planned maintenance to minimise degradation and is primarily condition driven.

This is based heavily on the potential that any site will, within a 12 month period, become a significant safety risk area.

The report says there is an 'un-evidenced' perception that the condition of roads in Torfaen are in a poor state.

But data is said to show an improvement in the condition of classified roads that mirrors other authority areas in Wales.

However, the proportion of unclassified roads in the borough is higher elsewhere in Wales.

The focus of the council's highways allocation can therefore be directed towards unclassified roads in the borough, the report says.

The improved condition of classified roads has helped the council successfully defend itself in a high percentage of highway related insurance claims, the report adds.

Out of 593 claims since 2011, the council successfully defended 490, saving a potential £3.3m.