Drivers dealing with 'biggest ever' pothole backlog after years of falling repair funds
The UK ranks near the bottom for pothole funding
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New data has shown that annual expenditure on local roads maintenance has fallen from £4billion to just £2billion in 13 years.
The Local Government Association (LGA) stated that out of 13 major powers around the world, only Italy and Ireland had cut funding by a higher percentage.
The United States, Japan, New Zealand, Austria and Sweden have all increased funding for road repairs by around half between 2006 and 2019.
Other countries like France, Canada and Finland have “protected” their pothole repair funds more than the UK.
The Local Government Association is calling on the Government to boost funding
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As a result, the LGA is calling on the Government and other political parties to commit to a 10-year programme to boost current funding.
It has been suggested that this could be done by “devolving” the equivalent of 2p per litre of existing fuel duty to increase funding for pothole repairs.
Shaun Davies, chair of the LGA, said: “The UK has fallen from the top to almost the bottom of the league when it comes to the amount we spend on repairing our local roads.
“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.”
In the 2023 Spring Budget, the Government pledged £200million for local authorities to repair potholes and improve roads.
Forecasts estimated that the added revenue for the issue could fix the equivalent of up to four million potholes across the country.
It is estimated that the cost to repair all potholes on local roads in England and Wales would cost £14billion.
Edmund King, president of the AA, that drivers had continually highlighted concerns that roads are fixed more quickly in the winter and left “blighted by potholes” in the spring.
He added: “This is not only a threat to vehicles but a danger to pedestrians and cyclists who are more active at this time of year
“It is clear that a majority of councillors place road maintenance as a higher priority, if not the top one, over other uses of transport funds.
“A Hampshire County Council survey among its district and parish councils showed that the demand for highway maintenance was easily twice that of the nearest other ‘most important’ priority (20 mph speed limits).”
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It is estimated to cost £14billion to fill all potholes in England and Wales
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“The state of the roads is a vote winner or loser in local elections.”