The Government has announced it’ll spend £1.6 billion to fill potholes and repair roads.
It says that’s an increase of nearly 50% on local road maintenance funding from last year, and that it goes well beyond the Government’s manifesto pledge, and is enough to fix the equivalent of over seven million extra potholes in 2025/26.
Across England, local highways authorities will receive a £500m uplift in funding, with the government saying fixing our roads and filling potholes not only makes roads safer, but they also improve journey times and save drivers money from avoidable repairs.
It comes as figures from the RAC suggest drivers encounter an average of six potholes per mile in England and Wales, and the cost of pothole damage to vehicles is around £500 on average, with more severe repairs costing considerably more. According to the AA, fixing potholes is a priority for 96 per cent of drivers.
The public is also being encouraged to report potholes in their area to their local council through a dedicated Gov.uk page.
Each local authority can use its share of the £1.6bn for 2025/6 to identify which of their roads are in most need of repair, and to deliver immediate fixes for communities and raise living standards across every area of the country. The allocations include:
- Over £327m for local authorities in North West, North East and Yorkshire and Humber
- Over £372m for local authorities in East Midlands and West Midlands
- Over £244m for local authorities in the East of England
- Over £378m for local authorities in South East, South West, and London.
Responding to the news, Cllr Adam Hug, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association said: “This extra £500 million for local roads is helpful, but we would ask government to reconsider its decision to hold back a quarter of this funding, in order to give councils the greater certainty they need.
“Councils already spend considerably more on maintaining their highways than what they receive from central government.
“Fully funding councils will enable them to far more effectively plan for and invest in preventative treatments which keep surfaces in better condition for longer and prevent potholes, which are more expensive to repair.
“Greater long-term investment is needed if we are to reduce the £16.3 billion repair backlog and next year’s Spending Review provides an opportunity to give councils this funding certainty.”
RAC head of policy Simon Williams added: “This is the biggest one-off road maintenance funding settlement councils in England have ever been given, so we have high hopes it’s the turning point that ends the degradation of our roads and finally delivers fit-for-purpose, smooth surfaces for drivers and all other road users.
“What’s particularly positive is that this announcement is not just about giving councils money to fix dangerous potholes, it comes with the important caveat of using the money wisely by carrying out preventative maintenance to stop more potholes appearing in the future. It’s also good to see the Government proactively encouraging drivers to report potholes, requiring councils to collect the right data to capture the true state of their road networks and incentivising authorities that use the money to good effect.”
Asphalt Group Managing Director Stephen Cooke said: “We welcome the new funding but underscore that longer-term investment and planning are key to repairing our roads. We need to invest in proven materials, systems and surface treatments that will make the road last longer.
“With a £16.3 billion repair backlog we have to move away from maintaining the status quo. We must make sure we embrace a new culture of building roads that last.’
(Picture – Highways News)
