The UK Government has said that it will ensure the £7.3bn announced in the Budget and due to be spent on local roads will be felt across England.
It said that “councils from Blackpool to Milton Keynes” will benefit, and the funding would fill “millions of potholes” each year.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves claimed to have tripled the share of local roads funding “tied to transparency” for local authorities from 8% to more than 30%, with councils able to get the cash by publishing “clear pothole and maintenance data and follow best practice”.
Each local authority will be able to use its share of the £7.3bn to identify the roads most in need of repair and deliver immediate improvements for communities and residents, the government said.
Regional allocations for the next four years are:
- North West: £800 million
- Yorkshire and the Humber: £500 million
- East Midlands: £700 million
- West Midlands: £800 million
- East of England: £1.2 billion
- South East: £1.5 billion
- South West: £1.5 billion
- London: £300 million
- North East: £30 million
The funding follows almost £1.6 billion for local road maintenance this year, which is a £500 million increase compared to 2024/25.
The Budget also delivered other transport measures including the first national freeze on regulated rail fares in 30 years, £891 million for the Lower Thames Crossing, a project delayed since 2009, and an extension of the Electric Car Grant.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:
“We promised to fix an extra million potholes a year by the end of this Parliament – we’re doing exactly that. We are doubling the funding promised by the previous government, making sure well maintained roads keep businesses moving, communities connected and growth reaching every part of the country.”
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander said:
“We’re delivering the biggest-ever investment in road maintenance to fix Britain’s broken roads. We’re putting our money where our mouth is, giving councils the long-term investment they need to plan properly and get things right first time, saving you money on costly repairs and making a visible difference in our communities.
“This isn’t patchwork politics, we are starting the hard work of fixing Britain’s roads for good.”
Edmund King, AA president, said:
“Potholes are the number one transport concern for drivers and continue to blight too many roads, so this funding should help smooth out the road ahead.
“Providing councils with long-term funding, coupled with the requirement to publish repair data and strategies, is a pragmatic solution. That will enable residents to see how their council is progressing and hold them to account.”
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said:
“This investment is an extremely welcome move. We’ve long called for councils to be given certainty of funding over an extended period so they can properly plan maintenance of their road networks as we believe this will lead to a better, safer driving experience for motorists.
“We also welcome the Government linking additional funding to councils who commit to carrying out preventative maintenance, as this stops potholes forming in the first place and extends the life of roads. It’s also far cheaper than continuously patching pothole-ridden roads only to have to pay far more to resurface them.”
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