The public will now see exactly what’s being done to tackle potholes, as the government demands councils prove their progress or face losing cash.
From mid-April, local authorities in England will start to receive their share of the government’s record £1.6 billion highway maintenance funding, including an extra £500 million – enough to fill 7 million potholes a year.
But to get the full amount, all councils in England must from today (24 March 2025) publish annual progress reports and prove public confidence in their work. Local authorities who fail to meet these strict conditions will see 25% of the uplift (£125 million in total) withheld.
Also today, the Transport Secretary has unveiled £4.8 billion funding for 2025/6 for National Highways to deliver critical road schemes and maintain motorways and major A-roads.
This cash will mean getting on with pivotal schemes in construction, such as the A428 Black Cat scheme in Cambridgeshire, and starting vital improvements to the A47 around Norwich and M3 J9 scheme in Hampshire, building thousands of new homes, creating high-paid jobs, connecting ports and airports, to grow the economy and deliver the Plan for Change.
It comes as figures from the RAC show drivers encounter an average of 6 potholes per mile in England and Wales, and pothole damage to cars costs an average £600 to fix. According to the AA, fixing potholes is a priority for 96% of drivers.
This government is delivering its Plan for Change to rebuild Britain and deliver national renewal through investment in our vital infrastructure which will drive growth and put more money in working people’s pockets by saving them costs on repairs.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
“The broken roads we inherited are not only risking lives but also cost working families, drivers and businesses hundreds – if not thousands of pounds – in avoidable vehicle repairs. Fixing the basic infrastructure this country relies on is central to delivering national renewal, improving living standards and securing Britain’s future through our Plan for Change.
“Not only are we investing an additional £4.8 billion to deliver vital road schemes and maintain major roads across the country to get Britain moving, next month we start handing councils a record £1.6 billion to repair roads and fill millions of potholes across the country.
“British people are bored of seeing their politicians aimlessly pointing at potholes with no real plan to fix them. That ends with us. We’ve done our part by handing councils the cash and certainty they need – now it’s up to them to get on with the job, put that money to use and prove they’re delivering for their communities.”
To ensure councils are taking action, they must now publish reports on their websites by 30 June 2025, detailing how much they are spending, how many potholes they have filled, what percentage of their roads are in what condition, and how they are minimising streetworks disruption.
They will also be required to show how they are spending more on long-term preventative maintenance programmes and that they have robust plans for the wetter winters the country is experiencing – making potholes worse.
By the end of October, councils must also show they are ensuring communities have their say on what work they should be doing, and where. The public can also help battle back against pothole ridden roads by reporting them to their local council, via a dedicated online portal.
To further protect motorists given continued cost-of-living pressures and potential fuel price volatility amid global uncertainty, the government has frozen fuel duty at current levels for another year to support hardworking families and businesses, saving the average car driver £59.
Lauren Kiely, Head of Communications at Kiely Bros said: ”We have been providing road surface maintenance in the UK for over 50 years, since my grandfather started this business. In that period we have built a wealth of historic data/proof of the outcomes of ‘prevention over repair’.
“Greater sight of funding would be helpful for local authorities to be able to strategically plan their programmes over a 2/3 year cycle. It would also provide certainty to the industry to allow for longer term technical investment and enable us to secure better rates from the supply chain when resourcing for the client”.
(PIc: Kiely Bros)
