Tackling Potholes: A New Era for UK Roads

Potholes, the bane of every road user in the UK, are about to face a more rigorous attack, and next month, local authorities in England will begin receiving their share of the governments £1.6bn highway maintenance funding. However, to qualify for the full amount it was announced that there is a new requirement which means that starting from March 24th, councils must now publish their pothole progress reports.

What this means for councils:

More accountability is going to be needed as progress reports must now include how much they are spending, the number of potholes fixed and the condition of roads. Plus, councils are now required to demonstrate how much of their spending is on more long-term preventative measures and their plans to combat the colder and wetter conditions making potholes worse.

What this means for the public:

Residents will benefit from greater transparency and should now have a better picture of their council pothole repair track record. Road users will also start to see the quality and safety of our road networks improve – maybe!

The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander said “After years of neglect we’re tackling the pothole plague, building vital roads and ensuring every penny is delivering results for the taxpayer.

“The public deserves to know how their councils are improving their local roads, which is why they will have to show progress or risk losing 25% of their £500m funding boost.” 

Overall:

Starting next month, councils must publish progress reports detailing their spending and repairs which will mean more accountability and transparency for residents, leading to safer, improved roads.

The public can also continue to do their part to drive more accountability towards councils too, by reporting potholes to their local authority via this online portal, and can keep track of how the UK is stepping up its fight against potholes with a new £1.6 billion funding initiative.