Lawyers Eat Up Roads Cash

Legal battles are depriving drivers of better roads, according to the UK's leading motoring organisations.

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30th March 2005

The AA Motoring Trust and RAC Foundation hit out after it was revealed the Department for Transport and its agencies spent a staggering ΂£5million hiring extra lawyers to deal with an increase in claims last year. "I'd like to have seen the money going on a new bypass instead of legal costs for public inquiries and land disputes," said Paul Watters of the AA Motoring Trust. And Edmund King from the RAC added: "If planning procedures were streamlined, we'd get a better transport network in place faster and for less expense."

The legal fees were racked up by the Highways Agency, Driving Standards Agency, DVLA, Vehicle Certification Agency, VOSA and the DfT's own central department. They come on top of bills for lawyers already employed by the bodies, and were exposed when the Government had to answer questions under its Freedom of Information law.

It also admitted the DfT paid out ΂£75m, the Highways Agency ΂£10m, the DSA and DVLA ΂£4m each and VOSA ΂£3.5m to hire experts, with dozens of "management consultants" getting the lion's share of this public money.

The revelation comes after the publication of the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance study (ALARM), which found 89 per cent of English councils and all those in Wales feel road repair under-funding is affecting safety.