Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴
England Road Maintenance Lags Despite Pothole Crisis: New Data Reveals Neglect of Local Roads
Official government figures reveal a concerning lack of road maintenance across England, exacerbating the persistent issue of potholes. Despite the widespread complaints about deteriorating road conditions, just three percent of England’s vast 183,054-mile network of local roads received any form of upkeep in the last financial year. This limited action underscores the ongoing challenges in preserving the nation’s road infrastructure and addressing public concerns about road safety and driving conditions.
Minor Roads Bear Brunt of Neglect
While 4,894 miles of roads underwent strengthening, resurfacing, or preservation in 2023/24—an 18 percent increase from the previous year—the overall picture remains bleak. This figure encompasses all road types. Alarmingly, the rate of repair is significantly lower than six years prior, when 7,510 miles were improved, marking a 35 percent decrease in road maintenance activity according to RAC analysis.
A Roads Also Suffering Decline in Upkeep
The data further illustrates that only 5 percent of England’s A roads, crucial arteries for national traffic, were subject to strengthening, resurfacing, or preservation in the last financial year. This translates to a mere 817 miles out of the 17,860-mile A road network receiving attention, a substantial drop from the 1,222 miles maintained in 2017/18.
Local Roads Severely Under Maintained
The situation is even more critical for minor roads. A mere 2 percent, or 4,080 miles, of the extensive 165,195 miles of minor roads in England were strengthened, resurfaced, or treated with life-extending preservation techniques in the most recent 12-month period. This stark statistic highlights the disproportionate neglect of local road networks, which are essential for daily commutes and local economies.
Potholes remain a significant problem due to insufficient road maintenance on local roads across England.
Preventative Measures Overlooked by Many Councils
The RAC’s analysis highlights a worrying trend: half of England’s 152 councils failed to conduct any preventative road maintenance on major A roads in 2023/2024. Preventative treatments are vital for halting the formation of potholes. These methods, including preservation, rejuvenation, surface dressing, and micro surfacing, are designed to prevent cracking and shield roads from water damage, thereby reducing the need for costly resurfacing.
Furthermore, more than a third of local authorities neglected to perform any preventative work on B, C, and unclassified roads. This represents a decline in proactive maintenance compared to six years ago, when only 28 percent of authorities overlooked preventative treatments on these road categories.
Data also indicates that 16 councils—representing 11 percent—did not resurface any A roads in 2023/24. Additionally, 7 percent (10 councils) failed to resurface any minor roads, further emphasizing the widespread issue of inadequate road resurfacing.
Across England, councils resurfaced a total of 1,242 miles of their entire road networks, a marginal 2 percent increase from the 1,223 miles resurfaced the year before. This slight uptick does little to address the significant backlog of road repairs needed.
Preventative road surface treatments are a cost-effective way to extend road lifespan and reduce pothole formation; however, uptake remains insufficient.
Council Performance on Road Repairs: Regional Breakdown
Top Performing Councils for Resurfacing and Preservation
Regionally, Gloucestershire County Council has overtaken Kent as the leading authority for A road resurfacing, completing 24 miles of its 337-mile network (7 percent). This is double the 12 miles resurfaced the previous year, demonstrating a significant improvement in their road repair efforts.
Staffordshire has maintained its position for the second consecutive year in carrying out the most preservation work on A roads. They treated 9 percent of their 411-mile A road network—37 miles—matching their performance from last year.
In the South East, Surrey stands out for minor road resurfacing, having replaced 50 miles of its 2,958-mile network, representing only 2 percent.
Norfolk has also consistently prioritized preservation work on B, C, and unclassified roads for two years running, treating 5 percent of its extensive 5,586-mile minor road network, totaling 302 miles.
Concerns Remain Despite Increased Funding
The RAC’s findings come after the Government’s allocation of a significant £1.6 billion in funding for councils to tackle potholes, touted as the largest single road maintenance settlement ever received by English councils.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams commented: “While any increase in road maintenance activity is welcome, the current level is still insufficient, especially considering the low point in 2022/23. It’s concerning that only a small fraction of England’s road network benefits from maintenance.”
He added, “This data reinforces the perception that many councils are trapped in a reactive cycle of pothole repair rather than adopting a proactive approach to road upkeep. The overarching trend reveals a worrying decline in the proportion of roads receiving strengthening, resurfacing, or preservation compared to six years ago.”
Mr. Williams expressed hope that the record government funding would lead to “a tangible improvement in road surface quality due to increased maintenance over the next year.”
Experts warn of further road deterioration if preventative maintenance is not prioritized and adequately funded.
Expert Warnings on Road Network Integrity
These findings are reinforced by a recent warning from the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), which estimates that the repair backlog for pothole-ridden roads in England and Wales amounts to £17 billion. The AIA further cautioned that within five years, one in six miles of the local road network in England and Wales—approximately 34,600 miles—will suffer from a lack of ‘structural integrity’.
Mike Hansford, chief executive of the Road Surface Treatments Association, emphasized the benefits of preventative measures: “Preventative road surface treatments provide councils with a cost-effective and lower-carbon strategy for managing road assets throughout their lifecycle.”
He likened road maintenance to asset management: “Investing in periodic treatments to maintain an asset in good condition is standard practice. Asphalt roads should be treated no differently.”
Mr. Hansford concluded that “This preventative maintenance approach extends road lifespan, minimizes future pothole development, and enables local authorities to maintain a larger portion of their road networks.”