Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said councils needed to “get on with it” with fixing potholes, as the government announced how it would allocate its £1.6bn road maintenance budget.
Every local authority in England will receive a budget cut for the next financial year – a £500m increase on the previous amount.
The government said some of that development was being put on hold “until the authorities can demonstrate they are delivering”.
The increase announced in the budget in October is estimated to fix an additional 7 million potholes.
The government said each local authority in England could use the money to identify which roads are most in need of repair and provide “quick fixes”.
The £1.6bn investment includes:
- More than £327m for local authorities in the North West, North East, and Yorkshire and the Humber
- More than £372m for local authorities in the East Midlands and West Midlands
- More than £244m for local authorities in the East of England
- More than £322m for local authorities in the South East and London
- More than £300m for local authorities in the South West
Transport in the UK is a decentralized affair – so this budget only applies to England.
Announcing the figures, the Department for Transport (DfT) said it was withholding 25% of the £500m development as an incentive until authorities could demonstrate they were “delivering”. are
He added that the government will ensure that the authorities spend the money wisely and maintain the roads to avoid more potholes.
The Local Government Association (LGA) welcomed the funding, but called on the government to reconsider its decision to block a quarter of the development.
He said councils needed “greater certainty” over funding, and called for long-term investment.
Figures from the monitoring group RAC show that drivers encounter an average of six potholes in England, and spend around £500 on vehicle repairs due to pothole damage.
Sir Keir Starmer said damaged roads could put lives at risk and cost families “hundreds, if not thousands” of repairs.
He wants his government’s renewed focus on people’s day-to-day frustrations. Potholes are perhaps the classic example of a problem that infuriates many people.
But the provision of these repairs rests with local councils, not the national government.
The LGA suggested that more than £16bn could be needed to repair the remaining damage to roads.
According to the RAC, the UK is facing a “pothole epidemic”.
A pothole is an opening in the road surface caused by factors such as repeated traffic impacts and water loss.
Depending on its size, it can cause significant damage to vehicles and pose a hazard to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
The average cost of fixing a pothole in England is £72. A report By the Asphalt Industry Alliance.