Councils struggling with ‘£14bn’ pothole bill
Council bosses say they are falling further behind with repairs to potholed roads because of a shortfall in Government cash.
The Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (Alarm) survey says councils only received two-thirds of what they needed during the current financial year to repair local roads – a total carriageway maintenance budget shortfall of £1.3bn.
That, they say, is a jump of more than a fifth on the previous 12 months, and represents the highest figure in 28 years of Alarm reports.
The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), which commissioned the research, said that this is because budgets have not kept pace with cost increases caused by inflation.
Rick Green, who chairs the AIA, said: "Highway engineers can only do so much with the resources they are given and should be applauded for the steps they take to keep roads safe.
"We all appreciate that there are difficult choices to make, but not investing in local road maintenance only leads to worsening conditions, which impact on other locally provided public services, a rising bill to fix the problem and more road user complaints.”
Mr Green said that the extra £200m boost for filling potholes – announced in the Budget last week – was welcome but “will do little to improve overall conditions.”
The report found the onetime cost of bringing all local roads up to scratch now stands at £14bn.
It also revealed that 18% of the local roads network – nearly 37,000 miles – has been assessed as being in poor condition and having less than five years of life remaining.