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Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Condition and maintenance of Local Roads in England

Status: Closed Opened: 31 Oct 2024 Closed: 3 Apr 2025 13 recommendations 24 conclusions 1 report

The Committee’s 2014 report on roads concluded that a piecemeal and stop-go approach to funding from the Government for road maintenance in recent decades was making it difficult for highway authorities to maintain roads cost-effectively. It identified that there had been too much reactive work in response to flooding and other events, and not enough …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
2nd Report - Condition and maintenance of Local Roads in En… HC 349 17 Jan 2025 37 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
4 Conclusion 2nd Report - Condition and maintenance … Deferred

Revise local road funding allocation considering usage, environment, and explore Community Infrastructure Levy use.

The Department does not allocate funding to local authorities for the maintenance of local roads according to where it is most needed. The Department provides most of its funding to local authorities based on road length, number of bridges, and number of lighting columns in a local authority. It does …

Government response. The government agrees but only addresses the second part of the recommendation, stating that Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) receipts can already be spent on infrastructure. It commits to exploring better communication about existing CIL funding and its potential uses, rather …
HM Treasury
24 Conclusion 2nd Report - Condition and maintenance … Deferred

Department's local road funding primarily allocates based on road network length and assets.

Most of the Department’s funding to local authorities over the last decade has been through the eight funding pots that use road network length as the main basis for allocations. The mechanism for these pots uses simple data sets to allocate funding, weighted between road length (82.4%), the number of …

Government response. The government disagreed with the implicit recommendation to change the funding formula but agreed to review it for fairness, stating it cannot commit to changes until assessments are complete and the earliest implementation would be financial year 2026-27.
HM Treasury
25 Recommendation 2nd Report - Condition and maintenance … Deferred

Road funding allocation formula does not consider road condition, traffic volume, or environmental factors.

The Department does not base funding allocation on other information, such as the condition of roads nor on factors that could have led to a deterioration in the condition of roads such as traffic volume, type of traffic or environmental factors.49 The Department told us that the current formula has …

Government response. The government disagrees with the committee's implied recommendation for immediate change but agrees to review the funding formula to better reflect road wear and tear. They state no changes can be committed to until feasibility is assessed, with the earliest …
HM Treasury
26 Conclusion 2nd Report - Condition and maintenance … Deferred

Department acknowledges arguments for re-evaluating funding allocation, considering flood risk impacts.

We asked the Department whether it considers where investment could have the greatest impact and why a factor such as traffic volume has not been included.52 The Department said that arguments for including other factors are often made, and that its last consultation on this subject was some time ago, …

Government response. The government states it disagrees with the committee's recommendation (interpreted as an immediate call to include specific factors) but agrees to review the funding formula to better reflect conditions affecting wear and tear, with any changes taking effect from 2026-27 …
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
21 Nov 2024 Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB · Department for Transport, Dave Buttery · Department for Transport, Rupert Furness · Department for Transport View ↗

Correspondence

7 letters
DateDirectionTitle
16 Jun 2025 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to…
13 May 2025 From cttee Letter to the Permanent Secretary for the Department of Transport relating to T…
9 Dec 2024 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Transport relating t…
9 Dec 2024 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Transport relating t…
9 Dec 2024 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Transport relating t…
9 Dec 2024 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Transport relating t…
9 Dec 2024 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Transport relating t…