Local authorities given extra £500m to fix potholes

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged councils need to “step up” to fix potholes, as the Government announced how it will allocate its £1.6 billion budget for road maintenance.

Every local authority in England will receive a budget cut for the next financial year – £500 million more than the previous amount.

The government said some of this uplift was being put on hold “until authorities can show they are delivering results”.

The increase announced in the budget in October is expected to fix an additional seven million potholes.

The government said that each local authority in England could use the money to identify which roads are most in need of repair and provide “urgent improvements”.

The £1.6 billion investment allocation includes:

• More than £327 million for local authorities in the North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber
• Over £372 million for local authorities in the East Midlands and West Midlands
• More than £244 million for local authorities in the east of England
• Over £322 million for local authorities in the South East and London
• More than £300 million for local authorities in the South West

Transport in the UK is a devolved matter – so this budget only applies to England.

Announcing the figures, the Department for Transport (DfT) said it was withholding 25% of the £500m raise in stimulus until officials could show they were “delivering”.

It said the government will ensure that authorities spend money wisely and maintain roads to avoid further potholes.

Local Government Associations (LGAs) welcomed the funding, but called on the Government to reconsider its decision to withhold a quarter of the regeneration.

It said councils needed “greater certainty” over funding, and called for more long-term investment.

Data from watchdog group RAC shows that drivers in England encounter an average of six potholes per mile, and damage caused by potholes can cost around £500 in vehicle repairs.

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 new focus to be on people’s daily frustrations. Potholes are perhaps the perfect example of an issue that enrages many people.

But it is not the job of the national government to carry out these repairs, but of local councils.

The LGA suggested that more than £16 billion may be needed to correct the backlog in road repairs.

According to the RAC, Britain is facing an “epidemic of potholes”.

Pothole is a depression formed on the road surface due to factors such as repeated traffic impact and water damage.

Depending on its size, it can cause significant damage to vehicles and pose a danger to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

The average cost of fixing a pothole in England is £72, according to a report By the Asphalt Industry Alliance.