Condition and maintenance of Local Roads in England

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 31 Oct 2024 Closed: 3 Apr 2025 Parliament page
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 … Read more
13 Recommendations
24 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
7 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 11 events
16 Jun
2025
Correspondence
13 May
2025
Correspondence
6 May
2025
Report published
17 Jan
2025
Report published
9 Dec
2024
Correspondence
9 Dec
2024
Correspondence
9 Dec
2024
Correspondence
9 Dec
2024
Correspondence
9 Dec
2024
Correspondence
21 Nov
2024
Oral evidence
21 Nov
2024
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
21 Nov 2024
View on parliament.uk
Local roads in England
Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB · Department for Transport Dave Buttery · Department for Transport Rupert Furness · Department for Transport
Title HC No. Published Items Response
2nd Report - Condition and maintenance of Local Roads in England HC 349 17 Jan 2025 37 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
4 results
Clear
4 Conclusion Deferred
2nd Report - Condition and mainten…
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 … Read more
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 than exploring new scope for surplus CIL specifically on local road maintenance. The first part of the recommendation (revising funding allocation based on wear and tear) is not addressed.
HM Treasury
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24 Conclusion Deferred
2nd Report - Condition and mainten…
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 … Read more
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
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25 Recommendation Deferred
2nd Report - Condition and mainten…
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 … Read more
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 implementation for financial year 2026-27.
HM Treasury
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26 Conclusion Deferred
2nd Report - Condition and mainten…
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 … Read more
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 after feasibility assessment.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 36 of 13 classified
Accepted 30
Accepted in Part 1
Deferred 4
Not Addressed 1
Total 13 recs + 24 conclusions
Correspondence 7 letters
16 Jun 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the 2nd Report of Session 2024-25, Condition and maintenance of Local Roads in England, Recommendations 4a and 5, 09 June 2025
Parliament page
13 May 2025 From committee Letter to the Permanent Secretary for the Department of Transport relating to Treasury Minute Response on The Condition of Local Roads in England
Parliament page
9 Dec 2024 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Transport relating to the Local road inquiry follow up on Autonomous vehicles, 05 December 2024
Parliament page
9 Dec 2024 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Transport relating to the Local road inquiry follow up on local authority expenditure, 05 December 2024
Parliament page
9 Dec 2024 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Transport relating to the Local road inquiry follow up on Private Finance Initiatives, 05 December 2024
Parliament page
9 Dec 2024 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Transport relating to the Local road inquiry follow up on Community infrastructure levy, 05 December 2024
Parliament page
9 Dec 2024 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Transport relating to the Local road inquiry PAS2161 Road Condition Monitoring Data Standard, 05 December 2024
Parliament page