The government has released a further £220 million to councils across England for pothole repairs, as new figures show nearly 7,000 miles of road resurfacing will be completed this year.
The Department for Transport said figures from local councils show over 10% more resurfacing than last year. Councils are spending £4.9 billion on road maintenance this year, £800 million more than before this government came to power.
The £220 million is incentive-based funding for councils that have met performance-based targets. Further funding will be released later in the year only if councils reach their performance targets, and can be withheld if they fail to reach them.
The reports councils submitted show that 94% of councils will complete preventative roadworks this year, up from 76% last year.
The government said its £7.3 billion in funding for road maintenance is starting to deliver better roads, helping the average driver save up to nearly £600 on costly repairs.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “For too long potholes have been a source of national embarrassment, forcing hard-working people to fork out for repairs and posing a danger to all road users. But today’s figures show that we are starting to turn a corner.”
She added: “While we know there is much more to do, our record funding, combined with tough new rules holding councils to account, mean that drivers are making smoother journeys while giving people roads they can rely on.”
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “This data is encouraging. It’s good to see so many miles of road being resurfaced, but it’s also positive that the preventative maintenance message has got through as we’ve long argued that councils need to take steps to stop potholes appearing in the first place, and not just patch them up.”
He added: “The proof, of course, will be in whether drivers and other road users notice the difference.”
Dan Joyce, Operations Director at Kwik Fit, said: “We welcome this increased investment, especially the additional focus on proactive maintenance as this helps prevent potholes before they become a danger to road users, or a drain on drivers’ wallets.”
