Report finds council road maintenance at lowest level for five years

According to RAC analysis of government statistics, council road maintenance in England dropped by 45 per cent in 2022/23 compared to five years ago. This amounts to 3,366 fewer miles receiving any kind of improvement work.

The figures show that 764 miles of A roads were strengthened, resurfaced or preserved in 2022/23, this is a 37 per cent decrease (458 miles) from 1,222 in 2017/2018.

For minor roads listed as B, C, and unclassified, the numbers were 3,380 in the last financial year compared to 6,288 five years before, marking a drop of 46 per cent (2,908 miles).

Only 4 per cent of the 17,853 miles of A roads maintained by councils in England were resurfaced or given life-extending preservation treatment in the last financial year.

35 per cent of the 158 roads authorities in the latest data failed to carry out any road surfacing while six-in-10 (61%) did no preservation maintenance work at all.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “These figures lay bare just how little resurfacing and life-extending preservation work councils have managed to carry out in the last financial year. We suspect this means road maintenance in England has reached a new low point – a sorry state of affairs considering how car-dependent the country is.  

“It’s especially concerning to see that so few miles of A roads received any form of road maintenance last year when these important routes are used by millions of drivers every day. Meanwhile, our minor roads that are essential in connecting rural areas have received barely a crumb of the pie.”

In response, Cllr Darren Rodwell, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “Councils share concerns about our local roads and are working hard to try and reduce the current £14 billion road repairs backlog.

“This includes investing in cost-effective and resilient resurfacing, so that roads stay in better condition for longer, but this has been hampered by inflation and rising costs of materials.

“Extra funding promised over the next decade will help and we urge the Government to award council Highways Departments with five yearly funding allocations, so they can develop long-term resurfacing programmes and other significant highways improvements.”