SOUTHAMPTON'S transport boss has ruled out London-style congestion charging as a means to fund the £50m worth of work needed on the city's crumbling roads.

But the council is still scratching its head, trying to figure out how to find the extra £3m a year needed to just "stop the rot" on the roads.

No decision has been made but borrowing from the government is thought to be a front- running idea on a list of tough funding options.

Other contenders include council tax hikes and a public/private money partnership such as the private finance initiative, which saw three new schools built in Southampton last year.

The council is still reeling after a report on the city's roads branded their condition poor and pointed to a history of under-investment, lagging behind that of similar sized authorities.

Officers told councillors there were three ways out of the problem; manage the decline, stop the rot or fully maintain the roads.

The final option would require a massive £6.5m a year and that was too much, transport chief Cllr Jill Baston told a meeting of the transport and environment scrutiny committee last night.

"We have discussed it and are of the opinion that managing decline is not an option. It is not good enough for Southampton, frankly," she said. In terms of the other two options, we have to cut our coat according to our cloth.

"Certainly we want to stop the rot and do what we can to get the street scene this city deserves."

In response to questioning from Labour transport spokesman Cllr Richard Williams, she ruled out a congestion charge. "Road charging has not been part of our deliberations and forms no part of our plans," she said.

"But whatever happens, there is no way of avoiding there being some kind of public cost involved.

"This is something that needs looking at carefully."

Head of transport Rod Anderson warned that with an investment rate of between £3m and £5m a year, it would take at least ten years to get on top of the problems.

Recent figures revealed that Southampton has one of the worst rush-hour congestion problems in the country, with the average speed for drivers being just 16.7mph.