Councils will need to prove pothole action to get extra Government cash

They will also be required to show how they are spending more on long-term preventative maintenance programmes.

The Government has demanded that councils now prove their progress in tackling potholes or face losing cash.

From mid-April, local authorities in England will start to receive their share of the government’s £1.6 billion highway maintenance funding, including an extra £500 million – enough to fill 7 million potholes a year. 

However, to receive the full amount, all councils in England must publish annual progress reports from today (24 March 2025). Local authorities that fail to meet these strict conditions will see 25% of the uplift (£125 million in total) withheld.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:"The broken roads we inherited are not only risking lives but also cost working families, drivers and businesses hundreds – if not thousands of pounds – in avoidable vehicle repairs. Fixing the basic infrastructure this country relies on is central to delivering national renewal, improving living standards and securing Britain’s future through our Plan for Change.

"Not only are we investing an additional £4.8 billion to deliver vital road schemes and maintain major roads across the country to get Britain moving, next month we start handing councils a record £1.6 billion to repair roads and fill millions of potholes across the country.

"British people are bored of seeing their politicians aimlessly pointing at potholes with no real plan to fix them. That ends with us. We’ve done our part by handing councils the cash and certainty they need - now it’s up to them to get on with the job, put that money to use and prove they’re delivering for their communities."

The council's reports must detail how much they are spending, how many potholes they have filled, what percentage of their roads are in what condition, and how they are minimising streetworks disruption.

They will also be required to show how they are spending more on long-term preventative maintenance programmes and that they have robust plans for the wetter winters the country is experiencing – making potholes worse.