SURPLUS revenue from on-street parking charges will help to push forward the realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill.

The road - which links Skipton and Harrogate - was closed for two months earlier this year when "substantial' cracks were found on the hillside following persistent, heavy rain leading to fears of a possible landslide into the road.

Now, North Yorkshire County Council has said it will use up to £500,000 a year of its surplus parking revenue to develop a number of major road schemes in a bid to attract the necessary Government funding.

As well as the Kex Gill, the council will look at new climbing lanes on the A59 at Blubberhouses and near Killinghall, a review of the Harrogate relief road review and work at the A1(M)/A59 junction.

In 2015/16, about £3 million was generated in surplus revenue from on-street parking charges in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Scarborough, Filey, Whitby and Northallerton.

“We use on-street parking charges to encourage people to use off-street car parks, reduce congestion in town centres and encourage people to use other forms of transport,” said County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for highways. “We don’t do this to create revenue but any revenue we do make, far from going into our general coffers, is put back into highways improvements and bus and rail services.

“We have now decided that up to half a million pounds a year will go into developing major and much-needed schemes such as the Harrogate relief road and the realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill to avoid land slips.

“We want North Yorkshire to continue to be attractive to visitors and to be a place increasingly where people will want to set up business and invest. In order to achieve this we have to improve traffic flow in our towns and improve highways and transport links between our towns and to major cities. Any surplus we therefore make from civil parking enforcement is put wholly to this purpose.”