A record £1.6 billion is to be invested by the UK government for the filling of potholes and repair of roads over the next two years.
The investment, an increase of over 50% on local road maintenance funding from last year, is enough to fix the equivalent of over seven million extra potholes across the 24-month period.
Across England, local highways authorities will receive a £500 million uplift in funding. “Fixing our roads and filling potholes not only makes roads safer, but they also improve journey times and save drivers money from avoidable repairs,” the Department for Transport said in a statement.
Increasing potholes
It comes as figures from the RAC show drivers encounter an average of six potholes per mile in England and Wales and the cost of pothole damage to vehicles is around £500 on average, with more severe repairs costing considerably more. According to the AA, fixing potholes is a priority for 96% of drivers.
The public is also being encouraged to report potholes in their area to their local council.
The government has also announced how much each local authority is being allocated. Each local authority can use its share of the £1.6 billion for 2025 to 2026 to identify which of their roads are in most need of repair and to deliver immediate fixes for communities and raise living standards across every area of the country. The allocations include:
- Over £327 million for local authorities in north west, north east and Yorkshire and Humber
- Over £372 million for local authorities in East Midlands and West Midlands
- Over £244 million for local authorities in the East of England
- Over £322 million for local authorities in the south east and London
- Over £300 million for local authorities in the south west
Pothole plague
“Broken roads can risk lives and cost families hundreds if not thousands of pounds on repairs,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “That is a cost that can easily be avoided by investing properly in our roads.
“Through our Plan for Change we are determined to put more money back into the pockets of hardworking people and improve living standards. That is why we are giving councils funding to repair our roads and get Britain moving again, with a clear expectation that they get on with the job.”
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, added: “Potholes have plagued motorists for far too long, but this investment will start to reverse a decade of decline on our country’s roads.
“Potholes damage cars and make pedestrians and cyclists less safe. We are investing £1.6 billion to fix up to seven million more potholes next year.”
Adding his thoughts, RAC Head of Policy Simon Williams said: “This is the biggest one-off road maintenance funding settlement councils in England have ever been given, so we have high hopes it is the turning point that ends the degradation of our roads and finally delivers fit-for-purpose, smooth surfaces for drivers and all other road users.
“What is particularly positive is that this announcement is not just about giving councils money to fix dangerous potholes, it comes with the important caveat of using the money wisely by carrying out preventative maintenance to stop more appearing in the future.
“It is also good to see the government proactively encouraging drivers to report potholes, requiring councils to collect the right data to capture the true state of their road networks and incentivising authorities that use the money to good effect.”
