Local councils must now publish detailed pothole repair data or risk losing their share of a £500m road repair fund. This requirement is part of the government's larger £1.6bn investment in road maintenance across England.

Councils face losing 25% of their funding (approximately £125m total) if they fail to meet new transparency requirements, which include:

• Publishing yearly reports by June 30 showing:

  • Repair expenditure
  • Number of potholes fixed
  • Road conditions
  • Traffic disruption reduction efforts

• Demonstrating:

  • Increased investment in long-term road repairs
  • Plans for managing winter road damage
  • Community engagement in repair priorities
  • Public reporting systems for potholes

Additionally, the government has allocated £4.8bn to National Highways for 2025/6 to fund critical road projects, including:

• A428 Black Cat project in Cambridgeshire
• A47 improvements near Norwich
• M3 J9 project in Hampshire

Current road maintenance challenges:

• 6 potholes per mile average in England and Wales
• £600 average cost to repair pothole damage to vehicles
• £17bn backlog in road maintenance
• 96% of drivers consider pothole repairs a top priority

These measures aim to improve road conditions, create jobs, and boost economic growth through better infrastructure maintenance and development.

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