National Audit Office criticises England's road maintenance efforts

In a recent scathing report, the National Audit Office (NAO) has highlighted severe shortcomings in the maintenance of England's road network, excluding London. The audit reveals that despite the Department for Transport (DfT) investing over £1.1 billion in road maintenance for the fiscal year 2022-23, only 48 per cent of roads were deemed to be in good structural condition.

A significant portion of this budget was allocated to the Herculean task of filling more than 1.9 million potholes nationwide. However, this effort appears to be insufficient in tackling the broader issue of deteriorating road conditions. The NAO, in conjunction with the Asphalt Industry Alliance, estimates that the total cost to address the backlog of road repairs has surged dramatically from £7.6 billion in 2019 to a staggering £15.6 billion this year.

The bill is getting bigger:

UK faces major pothole crisis: £14 billion needed for repairs

UK's potholes cost drivers £1.48 billion in repairs

"Despite their importance, the condition of local roads is declining and the backlog to return them to a good state of repair is increasing," the report states. The audit criticises the DfT for lacking a comprehensive understanding of the current state of local roads and failing to utilise the limited data available to effectively allocate funding.

“This is sadly yet more damning evidence that England’s local roads are in a truly dire state of repair,” RAC head of policy Simon Williams commented. “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.”

Furthermore, the NAO points out that the DfT has not updated its guidance to local authorities for several years, missing an opportunity to disseminate best practices and assist local governments in maximising their constrained resources. This oversight leaves many local authorities without the necessary tools and knowledge to efficiently manage their road maintenance responsibilities.

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