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
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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
2 results
Clear
9 Conclusion
2nd Report - Condition and mainten…
Departmental data suggests local road conditions have remained broadly stable since 2015-16.
The Department’s own data suggests that the condition of local roads has remained broadly stable. It reported that over the period 2015–16 to 2022– 23, the percentage of local roads rated ‘red’, which are roads that should be considered for … Read more
HM Treasury
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31 Recommendation Not Addressed
2nd Report - Condition and mainten…
Mandate regular inspections of PFI roads by managing authorities to ensure contract compliance.
We asked the Department whether it had completed any evaluations on the benefits that come from long-term funding arrangements such as Private Finance Initiative (PFI) schemes.67 The Department responded that the general view on transport funding was that longer-term funding … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the recommendation but outlines plans to commission a feasibility study for a monitoring and evaluation framework for *local highways maintenance funding*, rather than specifically addressing the imperative for regular PFI project inspections or PFI scheme evaluations.
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