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THE Local Government Association has responded to the RAC analysis of Council road maintenance in England.

The RAC report found:- "Council road maintenance in England dropped by 45% in 2022/23 compared to five years ago resulting in 3,366 fewer miles receiving any kind of improvement work, according to RAC analysis of new Government statistics." it also reported that:- "Regionally, 35% of the 158 roads authorities in the latest data failed to carry out any road surfacing while 61% did no preservation maintenance work at all. And over the last 12 months, the average length of roads resurfaced for all authorities was just 17 miles and 28 miles for preservation work."

RAC Head Of Policy, Simon Williams, said:- "These figures lay bare just how little resurfacing and life-extending preservation work Councils have managed to carry out in the last financial year. We suspect this means road maintenance in England has reached a new low point; a sorry state of affairs considering how car-dependent the country is. It's especially concerning to see that so few miles of A roads received any form of road maintenance last year when these important routes are used by millions of drivers every day. Meanwhile, our minor roads that are essential in connecting rural areas have received barely a crumb of the pie. It's not just Councils bearing the brunt of damaged roads; pothole repairs can also be extremely expensive for drivers. RAC garage data from December 2023 shows that for anything more serious than a puncture, drivers can expect to pay up to £460 if their car needs to go to a garage after hitting a pothole."

Cllr Darren Rodwell, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said:- "Councils share concerns about our local roads and are working hard to try and reduce the current £14 billion road repairs backlog. This includes investing in cost-effective and resilient resurfacing, so that roads stay in better condition for longer, but this has been hampered by inflation and rising costs of materials. Extra funding promised over the next decade will help and we urge the Government to award Council Highways Departments with five yearly funding allocations, so they can develop long-term resurfacing programmes and other significant highways improvements."

Simon Williams from the RAC added:- "Highways authorities need to take a:- 'traffic light' approach to road maintenance. Roads in:- 'green' and 'amber' conditions should undergo preventative maintenance by filling potholes and carrying out the most appropriate surface dressing treatment between April and September. This will seal the roads against water and prevent cracking in the cold winter months. Roads deemed to be in 'red' condition need to be fully resurfaced, or strengthened, as no amount of preventative treatment will stop them from falling apart. With road maintenance levels taking a nose dive, it's no surprise the RAC's Pothole Index has gotten worse recently with drivers now nearly twice as likely to suffer a pothole related breakdown than they were in 2006. That's why the Government's £8.3bn cash injection over 11 years still isn't nearly enough for a long term fix. We believe a proportion of money raised through fuel duty should be ringfenced to give Councils the certainty of additional dedicated roads maintenance funding for years to come. Otherwise, this serious, decades long problem will continue, meaning more roads will literally crumble away. The longer this is left unaddressed, the bigger the eventual bill for Councils."

You can read the RAC's statistics and data for UK roads RAC on the group's Pothole Index website page..