Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Highways Maintenance in England: Local Spending

Thursday 24 November 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Local highways maintenance is a critical service provided by local authorities.
  • Local authorities have the best understanding of local needs for highway maintenance.
  • Flexibility in budgets is important for local authorities to address local issues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Christopher Chope Con Christchurch
Transport Local Government
Context

Last year, £500 million allocated to local authorities in England for highway maintenance was not spent on that purpose.

Question

If the Government will take steps to prevent local authorities from spending money allocated for local highways maintenance on other purposes. A lot of the £500 million allocated last year to local authorities in England for highway maintenance was not spent on highway maintenance, so it was effectively a fraud on taxpayers. Will my hon. Friend please ensure that next year, allocations are made contingent upon showing last year's allocation was spent on highways?

Answer from Richard Holden

Local highways maintenance is a critical service provided by local authorities. A central highways maintenance fund has an incentive element to drive best practice, but overriding local leaders would be counterproductive as they have the best understanding of local needs. This approach aligns with the wider Government funding framework led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment on future allocations contingent upon proper use of previous funding

How: It Would Be Counterproductive

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Q2 Christopher Chope Con Christchurch
Housing Local Government
Context

Local authorities were criticized for not spending allocated funds on highway maintenance.

Question

Is that not a rather complacent response? A lot of the £500 million allocated last year to local authorities in England for highway maintenance was not spent on highway maintenance, so it was effectively a fraud on taxpayers. Will my hon. Friend please ensure that next year, the allocations of money to highway authorities are made contingent upon them showing that last year's allocation was spent on highways?

Answer from Richard Holden

Local highways maintenance is a critical service provided by local authorities. A central highways maintenance fund has an incentive element to drive best practice, but overriding local leaders would be counterproductive as they have the best understanding of local needs. This approach aligns with the wider Government funding framework led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment on future allocations contingent upon proper use of previous funding

How: It Would Be Counterproductive

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Q3 Barry Sheerman Lab
Transport Local Government
Context

Concerns about road safety representation and the importance of flexibility in local budgets.

Question

Does the Minister not agree that flexibility in budgets is important? At the moment, many of us are worried about lack of representation on road safety issues. Could local authorities with some of this extra cash be encouraged to take road safety more seriously?

Answer from Richard Holden

Flexibility is important for local need, which is why local authorities are the decision makers in this area. If local people do not like what local authorities are doing, they can make a change at the ballot box.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment on encouraging focus on road safety

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