Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what sums they have provided for the purposes of road maintenance to (1) Oxfordshire, and (2) Gloucestershire, county councils in the most recent financial year for which figures are available; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which this money has actually been spent on road maintenance.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local highway authorities including Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire County Councils have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 (as amended) to maintain the highways network in their area. Dealing with any compensation claims due to possible defects, including potholes, on the highway network is entirely the responsibility of the relevant highway authority, and the Department has made no formal assessment of this matter.
The Department is providing over £1 billion of highway maintenance capital grant funding to local authorities in the current financial year. This funding goes to eligible local highway authorities across England, outside of London and the mayoral combined authorities who are in receipt of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements. As a result of the funding increases announced at Budget 2023 and in the Prime Minister’s Network North programme, local highway authorities in England are generally receiving around 30% more highway maintenance funding from the Department for Transport in the current financial year than in the previous financial year. The Network North programme includes an unprecedented increase of £8.3 billion for local highway maintenance over the period up to 2033/34 to help fix the blight of potholes on our local highway networks up and down the country.
Funding allocations for all eligible local authorities are published on gov.uk. Gloucestershire County Council received a total of £29.1 million of highway maintenance capital grant funding, and Oxfordshire County Council a total of £27.2 million, in the 2023/24 financial year. In each case this was an increase of around 30% compared to the 2022/23 financial year. The Department for Transport has asked local highway authorities to publish on their websites by 15 March 2024 plans setting out how the additional Network North highway maintenance funding will be used, and thereafter quarterly reports on how the funding has been spent.
The Department takes the condition of local roads very seriously. Well-planned, proactive, and good quality maintenance works are vital in preventing prevent potholes and other defects from forming. Councils that do this effectively get better value for every pound spent.
To ensure transparency in the condition of our local road networks, road condition statistics are published annually by the Department and are available on gov.uk. The Government is working with the British Standards Institution and the Transport Research Laboratory to develop a new data standard for assessing road condition to help local authorities identify, assess, and deal with road defects, including potholes.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the condition of the road network in England, particularly with regard to potholes, and (2) the efficacy of measures designed to address such road maintenance issues.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local highway authorities including Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire County Councils have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 (as amended) to maintain the highways network in their area. Dealing with any compensation claims due to possible defects, including potholes, on the highway network is entirely the responsibility of the relevant highway authority, and the Department has made no formal assessment of this matter.
The Department is providing over £1 billion of highway maintenance capital grant funding to local authorities in the current financial year. This funding goes to eligible local highway authorities across England, outside of London and the mayoral combined authorities who are in receipt of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements. As a result of the funding increases announced at Budget 2023 and in the Prime Minister’s Network North programme, local highway authorities in England are generally receiving around 30% more highway maintenance funding from the Department for Transport in the current financial year than in the previous financial year. The Network North programme includes an unprecedented increase of £8.3 billion for local highway maintenance over the period up to 2033/34 to help fix the blight of potholes on our local highway networks up and down the country.
Funding allocations for all eligible local authorities are published on gov.uk. Gloucestershire County Council received a total of £29.1 million of highway maintenance capital grant funding, and Oxfordshire County Council a total of £27.2 million, in the 2023/24 financial year. In each case this was an increase of around 30% compared to the 2022/23 financial year. The Department for Transport has asked local highway authorities to publish on their websites by 15 March 2024 plans setting out how the additional Network North highway maintenance funding will be used, and thereafter quarterly reports on how the funding has been spent.
The Department takes the condition of local roads very seriously. Well-planned, proactive, and good quality maintenance works are vital in preventing prevent potholes and other defects from forming. Councils that do this effectively get better value for every pound spent.
To ensure transparency in the condition of our local road networks, road condition statistics are published annually by the Department and are available on gov.uk. The Government is working with the British Standards Institution and the Transport Research Laboratory to develop a new data standard for assessing road condition to help local authorities identify, assess, and deal with road defects, including potholes.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy of local authority processes whereby motorists claim for vehicular damage arising from a lack of adequate road surface maintenance.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local highway authorities including Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire County Councils have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 (as amended) to maintain the highways network in their area. Dealing with any compensation claims due to possible defects, including potholes, on the highway network is entirely the responsibility of the relevant highway authority, and the Department has made no formal assessment of this matter.
The Department is providing over £1 billion of highway maintenance capital grant funding to local authorities in the current financial year. This funding goes to eligible local highway authorities across England, outside of London and the mayoral combined authorities who are in receipt of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements. As a result of the funding increases announced at Budget 2023 and in the Prime Minister’s Network North programme, local highway authorities in England are generally receiving around 30% more highway maintenance funding from the Department for Transport in the current financial year than in the previous financial year. The Network North programme includes an unprecedented increase of £8.3 billion for local highway maintenance over the period up to 2033/34 to help fix the blight of potholes on our local highway networks up and down the country.
Funding allocations for all eligible local authorities are published on gov.uk. Gloucestershire County Council received a total of £29.1 million of highway maintenance capital grant funding, and Oxfordshire County Council a total of £27.2 million, in the 2023/24 financial year. In each case this was an increase of around 30% compared to the 2022/23 financial year. The Department for Transport has asked local highway authorities to publish on their websites by 15 March 2024 plans setting out how the additional Network North highway maintenance funding will be used, and thereafter quarterly reports on how the funding has been spent.
The Department takes the condition of local roads very seriously. Well-planned, proactive, and good quality maintenance works are vital in preventing prevent potholes and other defects from forming. Councils that do this effectively get better value for every pound spent.
To ensure transparency in the condition of our local road networks, road condition statistics are published annually by the Department and are available on gov.uk. The Government is working with the British Standards Institution and the Transport Research Laboratory to develop a new data standard for assessing road condition to help local authorities identify, assess, and deal with road defects, including potholes.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the percentage of the road network in England that is a danger to motorists as a result of inadequate road surface maintenance.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local highway authorities including Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire County Councils have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 (as amended) to maintain the highways network in their area. Dealing with any compensation claims due to possible defects, including potholes, on the highway network is entirely the responsibility of the relevant highway authority, and the Department has made no formal assessment of this matter.
The Department is providing over £1 billion of highway maintenance capital grant funding to local authorities in the current financial year. This funding goes to eligible local highway authorities across England, outside of London and the mayoral combined authorities who are in receipt of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements. As a result of the funding increases announced at Budget 2023 and in the Prime Minister’s Network North programme, local highway authorities in England are generally receiving around 30% more highway maintenance funding from the Department for Transport in the current financial year than in the previous financial year. The Network North programme includes an unprecedented increase of £8.3 billion for local highway maintenance over the period up to 2033/34 to help fix the blight of potholes on our local highway networks up and down the country.
Funding allocations for all eligible local authorities are published on gov.uk. Gloucestershire County Council received a total of £29.1 million of highway maintenance capital grant funding, and Oxfordshire County Council a total of £27.2 million, in the 2023/24 financial year. In each case this was an increase of around 30% compared to the 2022/23 financial year. The Department for Transport has asked local highway authorities to publish on their websites by 15 March 2024 plans setting out how the additional Network North highway maintenance funding will be used, and thereafter quarterly reports on how the funding has been spent.
The Department takes the condition of local roads very seriously. Well-planned, proactive, and good quality maintenance works are vital in preventing prevent potholes and other defects from forming. Councils that do this effectively get better value for every pound spent.
To ensure transparency in the condition of our local road networks, road condition statistics are published annually by the Department and are available on gov.uk. The Government is working with the British Standards Institution and the Transport Research Laboratory to develop a new data standard for assessing road condition to help local authorities identify, assess, and deal with road defects, including potholes.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs to motorists arising from potholes.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local highway authorities including Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire County Councils have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 (as amended) to maintain the highways network in their area. Dealing with any compensation claims due to possible defects, including potholes, on the highway network is entirely the responsibility of the relevant highway authority, and the Department has made no formal assessment of this matter.
The Department is providing over £1 billion of highway maintenance capital grant funding to local authorities in the current financial year. This funding goes to eligible local highway authorities across England, outside of London and the mayoral combined authorities who are in receipt of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements. As a result of the funding increases announced at Budget 2023 and in the Prime Minister’s Network North programme, local highway authorities in England are generally receiving around 30% more highway maintenance funding from the Department for Transport in the current financial year than in the previous financial year. The Network North programme includes an unprecedented increase of £8.3 billion for local highway maintenance over the period up to 2033/34 to help fix the blight of potholes on our local highway networks up and down the country.
Funding allocations for all eligible local authorities are published on gov.uk. Gloucestershire County Council received a total of £29.1 million of highway maintenance capital grant funding, and Oxfordshire County Council a total of £27.2 million, in the 2023/24 financial year. In each case this was an increase of around 30% compared to the 2022/23 financial year. The Department for Transport has asked local highway authorities to publish on their websites by 15 March 2024 plans setting out how the additional Network North highway maintenance funding will be used, and thereafter quarterly reports on how the funding has been spent.
The Department takes the condition of local roads very seriously. Well-planned, proactive, and good quality maintenance works are vital in preventing prevent potholes and other defects from forming. Councils that do this effectively get better value for every pound spent.
To ensure transparency in the condition of our local road networks, road condition statistics are published annually by the Department and are available on gov.uk. The Government is working with the British Standards Institution and the Transport Research Laboratory to develop a new data standard for assessing road condition to help local authorities identify, assess, and deal with road defects, including potholes.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department allocated to Lincolnshire County Council for road repairs in each year since 2015.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has allocated a total of £358.9 million capital grant funding through formula to Lincolnshire County Council for highway maintenance for the financial years 2015/16 to 2023/24.
This consists of £246.4 million for the Highways Maintenance Block (needs and incentive elements), £83.6 million for Pothole Action Fund, Potholes Fund, and Wet Weather Fund, £20.6 million from Budget top ups, and £4.9 million from the redirected HS2 funding as part of Network North.
A table with this breakdown can be found below:
Year | Highway Maintenance Block (£m) | Additional Pothole and Wet Weather funding (£m) | Budget Top Ups (£m) | Network North (£m) | Total (£m) |
2015/16 | 31.013 |
|
|
| 31.013 |
2016/17 | 30.169 | 1.804 |
|
| 31.973 |
2017/18 | 30.223 | 5.903 |
|
| 36.126 |
2018/19 | 30.193 | 1.772 | 13.747 |
| 45.712 |
2019/20 | 30.152 | 1.642 |
|
| 31.794 |
2020/21 | 30.152 | 20.909 |
|
| 54.373 |
2021/22 | 21.513 | 17.210 |
|
| 38.723 |
2022/23 | 21.513 | 17.210 |
|
| 38.723 |
2023/24 | 21.513 | 17.210 | 6.884 | 4.924 | 50.531 |
In addition to capital grant allocation formula funding, in February 2020 Lincolnshire County Council was awarded £3.65 million from the Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund towards resurfacing the A52 Roman Bank.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department is providing for road resurfacing in Bournemouth.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
During the current financial year the Department is providing Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council with £6,240,800 of capital funding for highway maintenance. This represents a funding increase of around 30% compared to the amount it was receiving in 2022/23.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse was for (a) national and (b) local highway maintenance in each financial year since 2010-11; and how much funding has been allocated for (i) national and (ii) local highway maintenance for the (A) 2023-24 and (B) 2024-25 financial years.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways and its predecessor bodies have spent approximately £8.417 billion, funded by the Department for Transport, on maintenance and renewals on the strategic road network in England during the period 2010-11 to 2022-23. It is also providing funding of £2.234 billion over 2023-24 and 2024-25, although these funding pots include an element of Capex operational activity in addition to maintenance and renewals.
The Department has allocated a total of approximately £17.1 billion of capital funding for highway maintenance to local highway authorities in England over the period 2010-11 to 2024-25. For the (A) 2023-24 and (B) 2024-25 financial years the allocations are £1.475 billion and £1.275 billion respectively. These include the amounts provided to Mayoral Combined Authorities within their City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS).
Funding allocations for all eligible local authorities between 2020-21 – 2024-25 can be found on gov.uk.
Year | (a) National Maintenance – actual spend | (b) Local Highway Maintenance – allocated funding |
2005-06 | Not available | £660m |
2006-07 | £30m | £672m |
2007-08 | £108m | £683m |
2008-09 | £284m | £703m |
2009-10 | £793m | £755m |
2010-11 | £374.3m | £1,077m |
2011-12 | £373.4m | £806m |
2012-13 | £421.5m | £779m |
2013-14 | £517.1m | £1,063m |
2014-15 | £705.5m | £950m |
2015-16 | £663.3m | £1,154m |
2016-17 | £626.2m | £1,026m |
2017-18 | £776.1m | £1,222m |
2018-19 | £674.2m | £1,346m |
2019-20 | £733.8m | £1,051m |
2020-21 | £759.5m | £1,626m |
2021-22 | £881.1m | £1,125m |
2022-23 | £911.2m | £1,125m |
Budget Allocation
Year | (i) National Maintenance | (ii) Local Highway Maintenance |
2023-24 | £1,118m* | £1,475m |
2024-25 | £1,116m* | £1,275m |
* To note that the National Highways budgets for 2023-24 & 2024-25 include an element of Capex Operational activity and other business costs in addition to Maintenance & Renewals.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 26 of the policy paper entitled Network North, published on 13 October 2023, how the funding to fix potholes will be allocated for (a) national highways and (b) local highways; what his Department's timescales are for allocating this funding; and by what date he expects the funding to be spent.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The £8.3 billion of additional Network North roads resurfacing funding announced on 4 October 2023 is for road resurfacing and wider maintenance activity on the local highway network. It covers an eleven-year time period from 2023/24 to 2033/34.
£150 million of the funding has already been paid out to local authorities in the 2023/24 financial year to allow them to make an immediate start on improving their local roads, and a further £150 million has been allocated for the 2024/25 financial year.
Local authorities have also been given an indicative total funding allocation covering the entire eleven-year period. All of these details are on gov.uk at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations.
The profiling of funding for the years 2025/26 onwards has not yet been confirmed and will be a matter for the next Spending Review. The funding will be backloaded, meaning that relatively more of it will be available in later years to ensure that it aligns with the profile of savings from the rescoping of the HS2 programme.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department provided to Cheshire East Council for highways (a) maintenance and (b) improvements in the (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Over the two years in question, the Department has provided a total of over £30 million to Cheshire East Council for highway maintenance, as set out in the table below. Over the same period the Department has also provided over £4 million to Cheshire East Council for small-scale transport improvements through the Integrated Transport Block. Further details are available on gov.uk.
Table showing funding provided to Cheshire East Council
Funding Stream | 2022/23 (£m) | 2023/24 (£m) | Total (£m) |
Highways Maintenance Block | 7.249 | 7.249 | 14.498 |
Potholes Fund | 5.799 | 5.799 | 11.598 |
Increase for 2023/24 announced in Budget 2023 |
| 2.319 | 2.319 |
Increase for 2023/24 announced as part of Network North programme |
| 1.658 | 1.658 |
Total Maintenance | 13.048 | 17.025 | 30.073 |
Integrated Transport Block | 2.003 | 2.003 | 4.006 |
Total | 15.051 | 19.028 | 34.079 |
The highway maintenance funding being provided in 2023/24 is a 30% increase on 2022/23.