The LGA responds to the Government’s announcement of an extra £500 million for councils’ road maintenance budgets and requirements to prove progress to release some of this funding.
Responding to the Government’s announcement of an extra £500 million for councils’ road maintenance budgets and requirements to prove progress to release some of this funding, Cllr Adam Hug, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said:
“The additional £500 million will help start to address the previously ever-growing backlog of local road repairs, which now stands at nearly £17 billion and could take more than a decade to fix.
“Councils already spend more than they receive from central government on tackling potholes and repairing our roads.
“However, it’s in everyone’s interests to ensure that public money is well spent. This includes the Government playing its full part by using the Spending Review to ensure that councils receive sufficient, long-term funding certainty, so they can focus their efforts on much more cost-effective, preventative measures rather than reactively fixing potholes, which is more expensive.”
Notes to Editors
The Asphalt Industry Alliance’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey 2025 shows the backlog of carriageway repairs in England and Wales has reached nearly £17 billion:
AIA Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey 2025