Government pledges to get tough on UK councils over pothole failures

• English councils risk losing up to a third of their road maintenance funding if they fail to demonstrate effective spending, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.
• This amounts to £525 million of the £1.6 billion allocated for local roads in the 2026/27 financial year, which will be withheld unless authorities prove appropriate use of funds.
• Councils must publish reports showing all highways cash is spent purely on road maintenance, including long-term plans and policies signed off by senior local authority members.
• Roads minister Simon Lightwood emphasised that this measure ensures funds are directly used for fixing roads and tackling potholes, preventing diversion elsewhere.
• The announcement follows estimates that the cost to bring England and Wales's pothole-plagued roads up to standard has reached a record £18.6 billion, with only 51 per cent of the local road network currently in good condition.

IN FULL

How the government is getting tough on UK councils over pothole failures