The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation has called for the UK Government to realise savings of £2.2bn by moving to long-term funding models for local authority highway maintenance. 

Ahead of this week’s Autumn Budget 2026, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) submitted a representation encouraging the UK Government to reconsider accessing efficiency savings of up to £2.2 billion generated by introducing a five-year funding model for local authority highway maintenance.  

The submission from CIHT to HM Treasury for the Autumn Budget 2026 can be found here.  

CIHT’s submission to HM Treasury highlights the potential savings of up to £2.2billion that the UK Government could harness and reinvest back into maintenance for the local roads network by moving to a five-year funding cycle for local authorities.   

Key asks from CIHT’s submission include: 

• Investment in new affordable housing should prioritise the delivery of affordable housing that is well-connected and serviced by affordable and sustainable transport means. 

• Consistent funding  to reshape the required infrastructure and services to holistically promote walking, wheeling and cycling networks. 

• Funding must ensure that access to affordable transport is distributed equitably and build on the positive shift to increased bus travel because of subsidised bus fares 

• Incentivise by making some of the funding for transport schemes only available to local authorities that have trained staff 

In a statement CIHT said that it is looking forward to continuing to work with HM Treasury, the Department for Transport, and the wider UK Government to ensure the nation’s transport networks work for all our futures and delivers environmentally, economically, and socially.  

(Picture: Highways News)