NAO report on local road conditions in England - RAC comment

Responding to the National Audit Office's report on the condition and maintenance of local roads in England, RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “This is sadly yet more damning evidence that England’s local roads are in a truly dire state of repair.

“It’s bad enough that historically the Government doesn’t really know just how bad our roads are. But it’s absolutely staggering that it doesn’t know whether the money it gives to councils has been used effectively. This has to change and we very much hope the new Government acts fast to fix it.

“While dangerous potholes clearly need to be fixed, we also feel more could be done with the funds councils are already given. We believe it’s imperative they carry out more preventative maintenance to stop potholes forming in the first place, rather than simply patching over the problem. That, combined with resurfacing roads that are beyond reasonable repair, is the first step to seeing a marked improvement in our vitally important local roads. Worryingly however, RAC analysis of government data shows that 60% of councils in England didn’t carry out any preventative maintenance in the financial year 2022-2023.

“There’s also no question that local authorities need more money to help them plan long-term maintenance. For this reason, we’re keen to hear from the Government that it’s honouring its predecessor’s commitment to give £8.3bn from the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2 to local roads over the next 11 years.”