Councils facing biggest ever pothole repair backlog, authorities say

Funding for potholes has halved since 2006, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development shows the current government spends 31 times more per mile on maintaining motorways than on local roads. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A group that represents all councils in England and Wales has demanded significantly more funding to repair the UK’s potholes, as allocated funding is found to have fallen by half.

The Local Government Association is calling for the equivalent of 2p per litre of the current fuel duty to be put towards a 10-year programme aimed at boosting funding for local roads, as it says councils face the biggest ever annual pothole repair backlog.

It said maintenance for local roads in the UK has halved since 2006, from £4bn in 2006 to £2bn in 2019, according to figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Though the government said its spending of £5bn between 2020-5 was enough to fix “millions of potholes”, the LGA said that £14bn is needed.

They added that cuts to spending on UK potholes are among the worst of 13 major nations, falling behind the US, Japan and New Zealand who have each increased their pothole spending budgets.

The UK’s cuts to pothole spending are similar to those in Italy and Ireland, the cross-party group added.

The LGA is calling on all political parties to pledge to the 10-year programme ahead of the next general election, a statement read.

“This would help councils to reverse the current decline in road conditions, so residents aren’t paying for far more expensive pothole repairs, and work can continue on reducing air pollution and supporting the move to a low carbon economy.”

Analysis by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development shows the current government spends 31 times more per mile on maintaining motorways than on local roads, despite Rishi Sunak’s claim he’s “on the side of the motorists”.

Shaun Davies, chair of LGA, said: “Decades of reductions in funding from central government to local road repair budgets have left councils facing the biggest ever annual pothole repair backlog.

“Positive extra funding in the recent Budget will help, but councils still face considerable challenges when trying to get on top of this pothole blight.”