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“Less than half our local roads are currently in good state of repair1, so today’s announcement detailing how local roads spending will be allocated will be well received by all relying on the local road network to drive home this Christmas.

“However, this cash injection will do little to help local authorities plan for the long term rather than just repeatedly filling in potholes. And, the funds concerned remain a fraction of what’s needed to prevent further decline2. Clarity is also needed on the how Government funds held back will be released to local authorities – so that road users can be confident that all monies earmarked go towards improving local roads.

“Our wish for the New Year is that this is a precursor to a multi-year ringfenced commitment from the Government to local roads. This will help to ensure better value for money for the public funds allocated and help to ensure we have a local road network that is safe, keeps people connected and supports economic growth.”

David Giles, Chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA)

“It was encouraging to hear the Chancellor acknowledge that the condition of our local roads is a reminder of ‘our failure to invest as a nation’, however it’s disappointing that the opportunity to deliver a step change was missed.

“While, the additional £500 million for highway maintenance next year is welcome, it falls short of the long-term funding horizon the sector has been calling for. And, with a one-time catch-up cost of £14.4 billion* in England alone, this additional allocation is a fraction of what’s needed to prevent further decline.

“Local roads, which underpin all other local services, help support growth and are a key issue for members of the public and we know from our ALARM survey that conditions are at an all-time low, and that this is the result of decades of underfunding. Our hope was that the Chancellor would have announced a multi-year ringfenced commitment allowing local authorities to plan and proactively carry out the effective maintenance needed to drive improvement in our local roads.”

David Giles, Chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA)

Next week Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver her first Budget and recent reports suggest a cut to spending is on the cards to try and plug the gap in the nation’s finances.

It is anticipated that one of the casualties will be the previous administration’s commitment to spend an additional £8.3 billion over 11 years on local roads maintenance (Network North funding). This raises the question of how local authorities are going to be able to address the repair backlog estimated in this year’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey at £14.4 billion for England alone.

In the run up to the General Election the Labour party’s manifesto pledged to fix an additional one million potholes across England in each year of the next parliament, in comparison to the 1.8 million pothole repairs in England reported in ALARM 2024. Now, in Government, Lilian Greenwood, Minister for the Future of Roads, told the audience at Highways UK earlier this month that she was committed to investing in local roads, but at what level remains to be seen.

“We know from ALARM that the condition of our local roads is at an all-time low, and that this the result of decades – not just recent years – of underfunding as well as the effects of all the physical and climatic challenges on a deteriorating network,” said David Giles, Chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA).

“It’s clear that current approaches to highway maintenance funding are not delivering for road users. It’s time for a rethink and we call on the new administration to place improving local road conditions at the heart of the Government’s transport policy.

“We urge the Chancellor to commit to adequate sustained, targeted and accountable funding for local roads – provided on both a needs and improvement basis – over the long term. This will allow local authorities to plan and proactively carry out the right maintenance intervention at the right time to the greatest benefit of all road users, rather than just having enough money to address immediate and urgent repairs. Without it there will be a continual decline in the condition of our local roads on which we all rely.”

Please attribute comment to David Giles, Chair, Asphalt Industry Alliance

“The results of the National Audit Office report clearly echo those of our Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey reports across the years and confirm what we already know – the condition of our local roads is now at an all-time low and there are significant challenges ahead if we are to see significant improvements.

“The report consistently refers to the results of our ALARM survey, highlighting its importance as a credible source of data, and the AIA welcomed the opportunity to provide information for review in this process.

“The NAO report makes some strong recommendations for how the DfT can help improve its understanding of the condition of the network in England, its approach to funding and its support and guidance for local authorities to help them deliver effective and efficient highways maintenance.

“We stand by the calls made in our 2024 ALARM survey report for sustained, targeted and accountable funding for local roads, which are complementary to those NAO recommendations. Without clarity on how much money will be made available over the life of this Parliament, as well as an effective ring-fence mechanism, local authorities will be unable to carry out the proactive maintenance required to improve conditions for the benefit of all road users.

“Swift action needs to be taken and we look forward to working with the new Ministerial team at the
DfT to support efforts to improve local road conditions and address the £14.4 billion carriageway
maintenance backlog reported in England in this year’s ALARM survey.”

“We look forward to working with the new Ministerial team at the DfT on efforts to improve the condition of our local road network and acknowledge Labour’s manifesto promise to ‘maintain and renew our road network’, through investment.

“However, given the £14.4 billion highway repair backlog in England alone reported in our Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey report this year, it’s clear that the incoming Transport Secretary (Louise Haigh) and Future of Roads Minister (Lilian Greenwood) have a considerable challenge to address that funding gap in order to deliver tangible improvements to the local road network by the end of the Parliament.

“Nevertheless, we are encouraged by Lilian Greenwood’s appointment as she is acutely aware of local road funding issues, having led an inquiry on the subject in 2018 – to which we submitted evidence – when she was Chair of the Transport Select Committee.

“A first step would be giving local authorities clarity on whether the new Government’s manifesto pledge to spend £65 million each year is in addition to the funding reallocated from Network North funding*. Local authorities have built the £8.3 billion announced by the previous administration into their budgets and are relying on it to begin tackling their maintenance backlog. Plus, more detail is needed on how maintenance funds will be rolled out and if there will be an effective ring-fence to ensure improvements.

“The AIA has long called for sustained, targeted and accountable funding for local roads. Only by having a secure long-term funding horizon will local highways teams be able to plan effectively and carry out maintenance work in the timeliest way to the greatest benefit of all road users and the public purse.”

*In October 2023 the Conservative Government announced an £8.3 billion has been allocated to highways maintenance as part of the Network North plan in England (including London) between (2023/24 and 2033/4).

The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) has today (Wednesday 19 June) announced the appointment of a new Chair.

David Giles, UK Director at Continental Bitumen, part of the Colas group of companies, has taken over from Rick Green who is retiring after seven years in the position and following a 40-year career.

The AIA is a partnership between the Mineral Products Association and Eurobitume and was established in 2000 to increase awareness of the asphalt industry and its activities, as well as the uses and benefits of asphalt. A key part of its activity is the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey, which helps to raise awareness of local road maintenance and funding issues in England and Wales.

David has extensive experience in the bitumen sector, previously with Shell for over 36 years and as UK General Manager of Eurobitume between 2018 and 2021, when he played an active role in the AIA.

“I am delighted to have taken over as AIA Chair,” said David. “Over the last seven years, with Rick at its helm, awareness of the AIA and its activities has grown massively, in no small part due to Rick’s enthusiasm, passion and commitment to its aims.

“The AIA is recognised as an authoritative voice on industry issues and there is no doubt that its campaigning has made an impact, with both the main political parties grasping that longer term funding horizons are integral to effective asset management of the local road network in their manifestos.

“We will continue to campaign for targeted and accountable funding over the long term to deliver sustained improvement in local road conditions and enhance the resilience of the network for all road users.”

Rick is retiring after 40 years’ operational and commercial experience in the highway construction and maintenance sector. With a background in civil engineering, he has held several senior positions within the asphalt industry, latterly as Managing Director of Midland Quarry Products, Heidelberg Materials’ Leicestershire-based asphalt and quarrying business.

Commenting on Government announcements to redirect transport investment, including £8.3 billion into road resurfacing to ‘end the scourge of potholes’, Rick Green, Chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance said: ““Funding for the local road network has fallen short for many years resulting in declining conditions and a rising bill to put it right.

“Local roads are the first and last mile in any integrated transport network, delivering passengers and goods to their final destinations. The Government announcement to invest in resurfacing schemes to tackle the backlog of repairs and to help smooth journeys across the country has the potential to be a game changer for local authorities. But, ring-fencing and surety of funding over the long term will be critical to ensure that highway teams can implement the most cost-effective approaches and use materials in the most sustainable way.”

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Better Roads has issued a report calling for central government to re-instate targeted and accountable support along with multi-year settlements for local road maintenance.

The report – researched and part-funded by the AIA, which jointly supports the APPG – draws on a review of the Pothole Action Fund (2015/16-2020/21) using data from the AIA’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey reports. It demonstrates that the Pothole Action Fund was a successful policy which contributed to marked improvements in the overall structural conditions on the local road network – but since its replacement gains made have been lost.

The Pothole Action Fund formed part of a six-year commitment specifically allocated to English local authorities. Highway teams were able to use the secure funding for preventative maintenance and resurfacing works as well as pothole repairs. Analysis for the APPG for Better Roads indicates that this budgetary specificity led to a marked improvement in the proportion of the local network classed as being in a ‘good condition’ with 12,377 miles, or 7% of the English local road network, moving into this category during the life of the Fund.

In contrast, since 2021 when the Pothole Action Fund was incorporated into councils’ general block highway funding from the Department for Transport (DfT), the number of roads classed as ‘good’ has gone into reverse. The APPG report points to data that shows there are now 5% fewer – 8,811 miles of English local roads – in this category than 2020/21, the last year of the Fund.

Informed by ALARM data, the APPG report also highlights that shortfalls in local authority annual highways maintenance funding have been rising steeply – up 82% – since the Pothole Action Fund ceased to be targeted solely to road maintenance.

Sir Christopher Chope OBE MP, Chairman, APPG for Better Roads, said: “Both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have pledged to tackle the ‘plague of potholes’ on our local roads. But, as this report shows, funding for local road maintenance is falling and the Government’s assumption that hard pressed local authorities will spend allocations on roads is not enough.

“The roll out of autonomous vehicles and decarbonising transport will place even greater funding pressure on our local road network in the years ahead. That’s why we are calling for a Better Roads Fund to be created with longer term funding commitments, direct budget allocation and full transparency on allocation.”

“This Better Roads Fund would help deliver a sustained improvement in road conditions and enhanced network resilience. It would also save money over the long term and ensure our local roads are able to support the challenges ahead.”

Rick Green, Chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), said: “It’s not surprising that the APPG for Better Roads report highlights that targeted Government action delivers better local road conditions and that a longer-term approach to investment with direct budget allocations is what’s needed to make sure improvements are sustained.

He added: “Local highway maintenance budget shortfalls only lead to declining road conditions and a rising bill to put it right. With the AIA’s ALARM 2023 reporting that the backlog of repairs on English local roads is now more than £12 billion, a longer-term approach is needed. That’s why we back this call for targeted Better Roads fund, which would help fix our roads and better support a lower carbon whole-life approach to road maintenance.”

The full report ‘Working for better roads: A call for the re-instatement of targeted and accountable support for local road maintenance is available to download from the APPG for Better Roads website here.

 

 

Commenting on the LGA’s analysis that highway maintenance funding in UK is one of lowest in OECD AIA Chair, Rick Green said: “It’s no surprise that the Local Government Association’s (LGA) analysis has found UK highway maintenance budgets at the low end of the OECD scale. The picture of managed decline reflects the findings of our Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey, which has reported for many years on local highways budgets under pressure and the resulting impact on road conditions.

“The link between continued underinvestment and the ongoing structural decline and below-par surface conditions of our local roads is clear. ALARM 2023 reported that it would now take £14.02 billion* – the highest recorded in 28 years of ALARM surveys – to tackle the backlog of repairs and bring them up to a condition from which they could be effectively managed going forward.

“We support the LGAs call for committed investment in local roads and a longer-term approach. The AIA also believes that more local highway budget ringfencing is needed to ensure that funds are directed to the type of works that deliver the best value for money, lower lifetime carbon impacts as well as enhancing conditions and improving the resilience of the local road network.”

Traffic on local roads is returning to pre-pandemic levels faster than on either the strategic road network or railways.

That’s just one of the trends highlighted on RoadFile, the online hub of road-related statistics delivered by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA).

The latest collated data forms part of a comprehensive update of publicly available information for the UK and Europe from sources such as the Department for Transport (DfT) and Eurostat.

RoadFile presents key information in an easy-to-use format with options to download the data to facilitate further analysis. It covers a broad range of topics such as road network, usage, funding, environment and safety.

The data shows that road-traffic (vehicle miles) in Great Britain was, unsurprisingly, significantly lower in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 related restrictions.  A 21% decline in all road traffic is reported in 2020 compared to 2019, with buses and coaches seeing a 33% drop. Car and taxi traffic fell by 25% in the same period, while HGV traffic fell by just 6%. Usage of pedal cycles increased by 50% in 2020 on 2019 levels – but this was not sustained, with the reported data showing a subsequent drop off in 2021.

Traffic levels in Great Britain in 2021 overall were at 83% of pre-pandemic levels, but, significantly, traffic on minor roads in 2021 had recovered to 91% of pre-pandemic levels, compared to 85% on the motorway network.

For comparison, Roadfile also highlights that rail passenger numbers in 2021 were 60% of pre-pandemic levels, while funding statistics also show that for every pound from the public purse spent on the UK’s railways in 2022, less than half of that amount (45 pence) was spent on roads.

“RoadFile is widely used by those across the highways sector and beyond as it collates a wealth of road-related information in one, easy-to-access platform,” said AIA Chair Rick Green.

“It highlights the reliance, across all types of road transport, that we have in Great Britain and continues to raise questions about why local roads authorities in particular don’t receive a fairer deal when it comes to highway maintenance funding, to keep them resilient and fit for purpose.”