England's road conditions aren't improving despite Government funding

The condition of local roads in England has stagnated in the past year, with the percentage of major streets in desperate need of repair having risen slightly, despite additional maintenance funding from the Government.

Official statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT) show that five per cent of A-roads managed by local authorities are classified as ‘red’; the official definition of such is a street that “should be considered for maintenance. Treatment may or may not be required, but the road should be investigated fully”.

The number of A-roads branded ‘red’ has crept up by one per cent in the past year, with Derbyshire having the largest proportion (29 per cent) of its major A-roads with the rating. The number of B and C-roads classified as ‘red’ has stayed relatively the same, though, with the national average being seven per cent. The area with the largest amount of streets requiring investigation for maintenance is the City of London, followed by Derbyshire.

Head of roads policy at the AA, Jack Cousens, said: “It was hoped that today’s Road Condition report would show that Government money supporting council efforts to reverse the decline in English roads and the backlog of repairs would be having more of an effect.

“Such is the size of the problem and the focus on main roads that driver frustration and anger remains deep,” Cousens added. “When, to get to a relatively well maintained main road, you may still have to run the gauntlet of persistent potholes on residential streets and rural roads, progress in combating the pothole plague is less obvious to many drivers.”

It was reported last year by the Asphalt industry Alliance that it would cost as much as £16.8billion if the Government was to completely fix Britain's crumbling roads in one fell swoop. Number 10’s recent road maintenance funding has seen £7.3billion allocated for the four-year period between 2026 and 2030. But the Government has set out rules in which councils must publish their road conditions and maintenance spending habits or face potentially losing a large proportion of their funding for repairs.

A map released earlier in January by the DfT revealed that 13 of England’s 154 local highway authorities (LHA) were given the lowest ‘red’ rating, which is calculated by looking at the condition of the roads under each LHA’s supervision, as well as the methods by which they make any repairs.

In a statement, transport secretary Heidi Alexander said at the time: “We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding for local highway authorities with £7.3billion to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have been asking for. Now it’s over to them to spend the money wisely.”

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