The Public Accounts Committee has opened an inquiry into the condition and maintenance of local roads in England.

The Committee’s 2014 report on roads concluded that a piecemeal and stop-go approach to funding from the Government for road maintenance in recent decades was making it difficult for highway authorities to maintain roads cost-effectively. It identified that there had been too much reactive work in response to flooding and other events, and not enough focus on preventative work that is less expensive in the long-term.

In 2024, the National Audit Office (NAO) conducted a study on the condition of local roads in England, and the Department for Transport’s approach to funding their maintenance. Focuses include whether government understands the condition of local roads, whether maintenance funding is being used effectively, and whether local authorities are being effectively supported by central government.

Based on the NAO’s work, the Committee will take evidence from senior officials at the Department for Transport, with likely topics including how the Government allocates funding, evaluation of the impact of spending, and the nature of additional support to manage a local road network in the context of increasingly complex factors such as climate change and autonomous vehicles.

If you have evidence on these issues please submit it here by 23:59 on Monday 10 June 2024.

Here are the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere, said the Committee.

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