A commitment in the Budget to invest over £2bn a year on improving the condition of local roads has been welcomed by council bosses, but they warned that it represented a fraction of what was required.
The government said it was determined to “double down on our work to grow the economy and create good jobs”.
The Treasury said that in order to achieve this it would spend more than £2bn annually by 2029/30 for local authorities to repair, renew and fix potholes on their roads.
The association of directors of environment, economy, planning and transport (ADEPT) said this would help councils make a start on upgrading the road network, but that further sustained long-term funding was required to make proactive improvements, rather than manage decline.
ADEPT president Angela Jones added: “The latest Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey data shows the carriageway repair backlog in England and Wales has reached almost £17 billion – the highest figure in 30 years of reporting.”
The Budget also confirmed that the UK would introduce road pricing for electric vehicles from April 2028, but that electric vans would be exempt.
Nicholas Lye, director of policy at road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, said electric car drivers might feel hard done by but that it was “a tough balancing act for the government to both ensure our roads are well funded and encourage people into zero emission alternatives.
“However, arguably the Chancellor has taken the first step to future-proof the network by ensuring we have viable funding for high-quality and safer road infrastructure in the years ahead,” he added.
