A highways delivery model developed in Cornwall is a potential national blueprint for councils as maintenance pressures continue to rise.
Delivered through the Cormac Teckal model on behalf of Cornwall Council, the approach demonstrates how integrated, data-led, publicly-owned delivery can strengthen network resilience, improve service performance, and accelerate low carbon innovation.
Through the model, the council – which has a highways network valued at £14.6bn – retains ownership and strategic control, while delivery is handled by a commercially operated, publicly owned company, providing long-term accountability, operational flexibility, and measurable public value.
The latest findings from the Asphalt Industry Alliance’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey estimate the national roads repair backlog has reached nearly £17 billion, highlighting the urgent need for more sustainable delivery models.
It allows faster responses to changing network conditions; shifts focus from reactive to preventative maintenance and reinvests efficiencies back into frontline services and communities, Cormac said. Despite increasing severe weather across the UK, the model continues to deliver strong outcomes, it added.
Resident satisfaction is also above the national average, with the highways contract generating £25 million in independently verified social value in two years.
Benchmarking shows high performance for repair quality and response speed, with permanent first-time repairs prioritised wherever possible, using advanced patching materials, and specialist machinery.
Early intervention programmes target roads at risk before failure too, holding the proportion of roads in the worst condition broadly steady despite national deterioration trends.
The model also positions Cornwall at the forefront of low-carbon highways delivery through warm mix asphalt, increased recycled material use, trials of low-carbon binders and lignin, reduced verge cutting, wildflower programmes, drone and smart monitoring surveys, solar-powered road safety technology, and national decarbonisation partnerships.
As the UK’s local road network faces mounting pressures, the Cornwall model offers a tested, replicable approach for councils looking to protect assets, support communities, and lead on low-carbon innovation, it concluded.
Dominic Bostock, Managing Director of Cormac, said:
“Local roads across the country are under real strain from weather, funding pressure, and historic underinvestment. The Teckal model shows that councils do not have to choose between retaining strategic control and delivering services efficiently.
“By combining public ownership with commercial delivery discipline, the model allows authorities to protect critical infrastructure, innovate quickly, and reinvest efficiencies directly back into communities.
“With pressures on the national road network continuing to grow, this approach provides a practical blueprint that other councils could adopt and scale to strengthen resilience, deliver measurable public value, and modernise highways management without outsourcing risk or losing accountability.”
Image courtesy of Cormac
