West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has welcomed a £168 million national fund which will help fix potholes in weather-battered county roads. The fund, announced in the Budget earlier this year, has today opened for bids from councils, with applications closing next month. Worcestershire County Council can bid for the extra money to add on to the £10 billion already being given to councils in England for local road maintenance between 2010 and 2021. Harriett commented: "Worcestershire County council has always listened to residents and put a high priority on repairing county roads after winter's ravages. “I know that there is already a comprehensive programme of road repairs being carried out and the county council runs a useful website where local people can report potholes and other road damage. “This extra money committed in the budget will help the county council to make additional inroads into the problem and I hope that they will put a bid in soon to get a share of this fund. “I know that their ongoing actions will be welcomed by road users who worry about the serious damage potholes can caused to vehicles and the extra risks they have to take avoiding them.”