According to the data, the Department for Transport (DfT) spent more than £1.1 billion on maintaining roads in 2022-23 – yet only 48% of roads in England (excluding London) were estimated to be in good structural condition.
The majority of the funding went to filling in over 1.9 million potholes across the country.
Worryingly, the NAO and Asphalt Industry Alliance estimate that the cost to fix the road maintenance problem has risen from £7.6 billion in 2019, to £15.6 billion this year.
The report stated: “Despite their importance, the condition of local roads is declining and the backlog to return them to a good state of repair is increasing.
At present DfT does not have a good enough understanding of the condition of local roads, and does not use the limited data it does have to allocate its funding as effectively as possible.
“It does not know whether the funds it allocates are delivering improvements in road condition, and has not updated its guidance to local authorities, to share good practice and help them make the most of their limited funds, for some years.”
The NAO advises that the DfT should ‘review its coverage requirements for local authorities on surface condition reporting’, and request information on other key part of the road network, such as bridges, pavements, embankments, and drainage systems.
Another recommendation from the independent parliamentary body is for the DfT to take a new approach to how it allocates its funding for local road maintenance.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “This is sadly yet more damning evidence that England’s local roads are in a truly dire state of repair.
“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.
“While dangerous potholes clearly need to be fixed, we also feel more could be done with the funds councils are already given.
“We believe it’s imperative they carry out more preventative maintenance to stop potholes forming in the first place, rather than simply patching over the problem. That, combined with resurfacing roads that are beyond reasonable repair, is the first step to seeing a marked improvement in our vitally important local roads.
“Worryingly however, RAC analysis of government data shows that 60% of councils in England didn’t carry out any preventative maintenance in the financial year 2022-2023.
“There’s also no question that local authorities need more money to help them plan long-term maintenance. For this reason, we’re keen to hear from the Government that it’s honouring its predecessor’s commitment to give £8.3bn from the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2 to local roads over the next 11 years.”
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