A record £14bn is now needed for local authorities to tackle the local roads maintenance backlog, according to an annual survey.
Published today by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), the survey reported that highway teams in England and Wales only received around two-thirds of what they needed to stop local roads from further deterioration during the 2022-23 financial year.
The survey found the gap between what councils received and what they said they would have needed to keep roads to their own target conditions was now £1.3bn – a 20% increase on last year’s figure and the highest amount reported in nearly three decades.
It found the cost of fixing the maintenance backlog had reached a new high of £14.02bn – an increase of 11% on last year.
The survey also revealed that 49% – or more than 100,000 miles – of local roads were at risk of deteriorating to the point of needing to be rebuilt within the next 15 years without investment.
AIA chair, Rick Green, welcomed chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Budget announcement of an additional £200m one-off payment for local roads in England, but said it was not enough to make up the shortfall.
He said: ‘It represents around 20% of the average shortfall in English local authorities’ annual budgets and will do little to improve overall structural conditions and stem further decline.'
The Local Government Association's transport spokesperson, David Renard, said it was 'alarming that, due to soaring inflation and historic funding cuts, councils’ repair backlog has grown'.
