Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 29
29
Accepted
Department acknowledges insufficient evaluation of local authority road maintenance funding effectiveness.
Recommendation
We asked the Department how it would know which funding mechanism was most effective without evaluation. The Department told us that it does not evaluate everything that it allocates to local authorities because it relies on them to exercise their statutory duties for local roads, and that local authorities do not necessarily ringfence their funding from the Department. The Department also told us that it has identified lessons from its recent evaluation of the pothole fund, such as around long-term funding and consistent data collection. Overall, the Department believes that spending 56 Written evidence submitted by Department for Transport 5 December 2024, ‘Local roads in England – Community Infrastructure Levy’ 57 Q 63 58 Written evidence submitted by the Department for Transport dated 5 December 2024, ‘Local roads in England – Follow up on Community Infrastructure Levy’ 59 C&AG’s Report, para 1.11 60 Q 37; C&AG’s Report, para 1.12 61 C&AG’s Report, 1.12 16 on local roads is good value for money, and so is not an area that it is particularly concerned about. The Department acknowledged, however that it should look to do more evaluation, with the work on a revised Code of Practice to local authorities providing an opportunity to do so.62
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation, planning a feasibility study in 2025 to inform the development of a monitoring and evaluation framework for local highways maintenance funding, which will be operational in 2026 and generate regular evaluation reports.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2027 5.2 To ensure the development of a robust and proportionate monitoring and evaluation framework, the department plans to commission a feasibility study in 2025 to understand the current state of evidence, evidence gaps and data collection mechanisms in local authorities. This will then help scope evaluation questions and identify appropriate approaches for monitoring and evaluating the department’s local highways maintenance funding. 5.3 Following the completion of the feasibility study and dependent on its recommendations, a monitoring and evaluation framework will be developed for operation in 2026, with the aim of generating regular evaluation reports, to help understand the effectiveness and impact of the department’s capital funding support for local highways authorities. 5.4 A key part of the monitoring and evaluation framework will be to utilise national data collection mechanisms to understand the effects of the funding on road condition. This could include, for example, data on local roads maintenance gathered through the new Integrated Settlement outcomes framework for Mayoral Combined Authorities. It could also utilise any other data shared by local highways authorities to access their full funding in financial year 2025-26, part of which is being held back until local authorities can prove that they are meeting certain criteria. The department will engage with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local government during the design and delivery of the evaluation given their responsibility for the overall funding system for local government.