Prove pothole fixing or lose cash, councils told

Councils will have to prove that they’re fixing potholes – or face losing cash – in a new Government scheme.

From mid-April, local authorities in England will start to receive their share of the Government’s £1.6bn highway maintenance funding, including an extra £500m – enough to fill seven million potholes a year.

But to get the full amount, all councils in England must from today (Monday, 24 March) 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 (£125m in total) withheld.

Also today, the Transport Secretary has unveiled £4.8bn funding for 2025/6 for National Highways to deliver critical road schemes and maintain motorways and major A-roads.

This cash will mean bringing forward schemes such as the A428 Black Cat scheme in Cambridgeshire, and starting improvements to the A47 around Norwich and M3 J9 scheme in Hampshire.

It comes as figures from the RAC show drivers encounter an average of six 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.

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.”

The Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “After years of neglect we’re tackling the pothole plague, building vital roads and ensuring every penny is delivering results for the taxpayer.

“The public deserves to know how their councils are improving their local roads, which is why they will have to show progress or risk losing 25 per cent of their £500m funding boost.

“Our Plan for Change is reversing a decade of decline and mending our pothole-ridden roads which damage cars and make pedestrians and cyclists less safe.”

To ensure councils are taking action, they must now publish reports on their websites by 30 June, 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 in the fight against pothole-ridden roads by reporting them to their local council, via an online portal.

Edmund King, AA president and member of the Pothole Partnership, said: “Getting councils to show value for money before getting full funding is a big step in the right direction, as it will encourage a more concerted attack on the plague of potholes. At the same time, local authorities can share best practice, so others can learn what new innovations and planned maintenance techniques have worked for them.”