Mon, 24 Mar 2025

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 Sort 'pothole plague' or lose cash, councils warned

Councils in England will be asked to publish reports on their repairs or miss out on funding, but critics say long-term thinking is needed.

* Local authorities in England must publish annual reports detailing progress on pothole fixing to receive extra funding
* Councils will get 75% of an additional £500m for road maintenance, but could lose 25% if they fail to meet reporting requirements
* Reports must include data on pothole filling, spending, and long-term road maintenance plans
* Councils must also demonstrate community consultation by the end of October
* Funding will be withheld from councils that "fail to meet these strict conditions"
* The policy only applies to English councils, as funding for Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish local authorities is devolved
* Labour has pledged to repair up to 1 million potholes a year in England, but the government's approach has been described as a "pothole sticking plaster" by the opposition
* The Local Government Association is calling for a more preventative approach to road maintenance rather than just fixing potholes.
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