Essex will receive £11 million of a national "pothole pot" to repair battered roads across the county, the authority has announced.

On Friday, the Government released its provisional local government finance settlement for 2019 to 2020.

Following on from Chancellor Phillip Hammond's budget in October, Essex Highways will receive £11 million from the national kitty for road repairs.

County Hall will also receive £16 million of funding from a national social care pot, £5.9 million of which is to cope with winter pressure and demand.

An increase in business rates income has generated a national surplus, and the Government has allocated £2.7 million to Essex.

However despite applying, the county has not been selected for a business rate pilot schemes which would have seen it keep 75 per cent of company’s taxes.

Leader of the council David Finch said the headline figures from the finance settlement were disappointing.

"There are no changes or improvements to what we were expecting, there were few surprises other than the small slice of a national business rates surplus, and there is no opportunity for Essex to benefit from becoming one of the business rate pilot schemes which the Secretary of State announced," he said.

“This latter omission is a shame, as this would have enabled us to retain three-quarters of the business rates collected locally and then decide ourselves, in Essex instead of in Whitehall, where and how that money should be spent.

“There are still significant challenges ahead. Austerity might be ending, but its effects remain with us."

Mr Finch said the authority would be forced to make some tough choices going forward.

He added: “Providing services today in the way that we provided them 20 years ago won’t work; we live in a digital world where we work differently, bank differently, shop differently – we need to embrace that, so we offer services which are relevant to how people live today.

“There is also the ever-present need to continue to look after our most vulnerable; ours is an ever-ageing, ever-growing population with ever-more complex needs. But we are as committed to protecting Essex’s vulnerable children and older people as ever.

“These are challenges which we need to face and overcome as we finalise our budget for the coming financial year. I know that we will. Because we have the track record of having done so over the past decade.”