Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the RAC's estimate that there were over one million potholes on UK roads in 2023, as set out in the RAC Pothole Index, published on 23 April 2024; what plans they have to review and identify the most effective methods of road construction for reducing the number of potholes that form; and what plans they have to review and identify the optimum techniques and technologies available for filling in potholes when they do occur.

RAC’s pothole estimate was based on 81 local authority responses to a Freedom of Information request carried out in 2023. The Department agrees that pothole formation occurs more frequently in the winter months, where increased water and ice cause ingress and subsequent road defects to occur.

Whilst the Department does not require notification when highway authorities discover, receive reports of, or repair individual defects on the local highway network, local highway authorities are required to provide road condition information to the Department annually as part of the data obligations set out in the Single Data List. The Department publishes this information on gov.uk as part of its annual statistical releases.

This Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of nearly 50% compared to the current financial year. The Government will confirm funding allocations to English local highway authorities in due course.

The Department for Transport (DfT) allocates this funding to local highways authorities so they can most effectively spend this funding on maintaining and improving their respective network, based upon their local knowledge, circumstances, and priorities. It is up to the respective highway authority how best to spend this funding to fulfil their statutory duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, but the DfT strongly advocates a risk-based whole lifecycle asset management approach to local authority highways maintenance programmes. This considers all parts of the highway network, such as bridges, cycleways, and lighting columns, and not just the fixing of potholes.