New rules on how to spend pothole funding

The government has set out new rules on how councils can spend funding to to fix potholes and maintain local roads.

Under the new measures, local highway authorities that fail to demonstrate they are maintaining roads effectively could lose around a third of their £1.6 billion funding for the next year.

Under the new rules, councils will have to publish reports proving they are spending all of their highways cash purely on road maintenance, showing long-term plans for looking after roads and better training for their highways teams.

Roads and Buses Minister, Simon Lightwood, said: "Drivers deserve smooth, safe journeys and we’re making sure every pound goes straight into fixing roads and tackling potholes, not being spent elsewhere.

"Potholes aren’t just an inconvenience — they cost drivers hundreds, if not more, every time they cause damage to a vehicle. Fixing our roads is one of the most impactful things we can do to reduce the cost of owning and driving a car and we’re making sure every pound goes straight into doing exactly that.

"We’ve made it crystal clear that councils that fail to maintain their roads will now risk losing up to a third of their funding.

"And for the first time, we’re giving councils multi-year funding so they can plan properly and reverse a decade of decline in our roads."

RAC head of policy, Simon Williams, said: "These measures should go a long way to addressing the poor condition of local roads, which we know from research for the RAC report on motoring is drivers’ number-one concern.

"Ensuring money that is given to councils to improve their roads is actually spent on roads is critical, so the government’s focus on this will be welcomed by drivers. And, while fixing dangerous potholes is vital, it’s also very positive to see councils being encouraged to carry out preventative maintenance work, which will stop potholes forming in the future.

"Having the certainty of funding over the next 5 years for councils to plan proper maintenance programmes should result in better quality roads for all."