Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms are in place to hold local highway authorities accountable when roads are left unrepaired for extended periods despite being reported as hazardous.

Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 local highway authorities themselves are responsible for maintaining their network and for the delivery of maintenance works. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances. Local authorities are accountable to the public for these decisions, as they are democratically elected bodies.