Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Pothole Repairs: Government Funding

Thursday 26 March 2026 · 6 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 5 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Labour Government providing 7.3 billion for highways maintenance over four years
  • Wokingham borough council eligible to receive 28.9 million over the next four years
  • Government funding for pothole repairs aims to double over the current Parliament term

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Clive Jones Lib Dem Wokingham
Transport
Context

The MP is concerned about the effectiveness of Government funding allocated to repair potholes, questioning whether it is being utilised effectively.

Question

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Government funding for repairing potholes?

Answer from Simon Lightwood

This Labour Government are providing £7.3 billion for highways maintenance over four years, doubling the funding provided by the previous Government by the end of this Parliament. Our long-term funding approach is already reaping results, with 15% more pothole prevention works carried out in 2025 compared with 2024. Effectiveness is monitored through annual transparency reports, incentive funding requirements and the new traffic light ratings system, ensuring that funding is used to deliver lasting, visible improvements for road users.

Answered
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Q2 Clive Jones Lib Dem Wokingham
Local Government
Context

Wokingham borough council is facing financial cuts from the government, with a £43 million reduction over three years. The MP questions what steps are being taken to ensure councils like Wokingham have adequate funding.

Question

Wokingham borough council is the lowest funded unitary authority. Between 2020 and 2022 when the Conservatives led the council, they cut the road maintenance budget by £2 million. Now the Labour Government are cutting £43 million from the council's funding for the next three years. What steps is the Minister taking to provide councils like Wokingham with the funding they need to maintain safe roads, despite being drained of cash by the Government?

Answer from Simon Lightwood

I am afraid that I do not recognise the hon. Gentleman's numbers. Capital funding for highways maintenance has not been cut in Wokingham. Wokingham borough council is eligible to receive £28.9 million over the next four years as part of the £7.3 billion investment. That represents a clear year-on-year increase from 2024-25 to 2025-26, with funding due to continue to increase over the next four years.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps being taken to address Wokingham's funding shortfall were not detailed. Only general funding figures provided without specific plans for Wokingham.

How: I Am Afraid That I Do Not Recognise The Hon. Gentleman'S Numbers.

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Q3 Daniel Francis Lab Bexleyheath and Crayford
Housing Transport Local Government
Context

The local authority is struggling to spend £895,000 provided by the government on road maintenance. The MP seeks confirmation of future funding levels.

Question

After months of struggling to spend the £895,000 given to Conservative-controlled Bexley council by this Government, the council is finally in a rush to resurface roads like Belmont Road in Northumberland Heath by the end of the financial year. Will the Minister confirm how much funding the Government will provide to my local council in future years to restore the condition of our roads across Bexleyheath and Crayford?

Answer from Simon Lightwood

By the end of this Parliament, we will have almost doubled the amount of money going to local authorities to tackle the pothole plague that we inherited from the previous Government. Of course, elements of that are incentives, so if local authorities do not follow the prescribed best practice, they will not receive all that incentive funding.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific future funding levels for Bexley council were not provided. Only general statements about increasing funds and incentives made.

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Q4 Desmond Swayne Con New Forest West
Transport
Context

The MP declares losing three tyres to potholes this year and questions the Department's assessment on the efficiency of pothole repairs, including what materials are being used.

Question

Can I declare my interest, having lost three tyres to potholes this year? What assessment has the Department made of the efficiency with which potholes are being filled? What on earth is it filling them with, because within weeks and sometimes days, a newly filled pothole is back again?

Answer from Simon Lightwood

That is exactly why this Government are putting record funding into tackling potholes—so that we can finally turn the tide on having to refill the same potholes time and again. With that long-term funding, councils can now finally turn the corner and prevent those potholes from forming in the first place.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific assessment of materials or repair efficiency not addressed. Only general statements about increased funding and prevention made.

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Q5 Melanie Onn Lab Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes
Transport Local Government
Context

North East Lincolnshire council is struggling to spend £4 million allocated for road repairs, leading the MP to question if there is monitoring of fund usage.

Question

North East Lincolnshire council has received over £4 million. Like my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Daniel Francis) mentioned, the council seems to be struggling to get that money out the door and those potholes filled. Areas like Winchester Road have got absolutely disgraceful road conditions. Is the Department undertaking any monitoring of how much money is being spent and how much is going on these potholes?

Answer from Simon Lightwood

Under this Government, all councils must publish a statement on their website so that all local people can hold them to account on exactly how they are spending their money. Let me share an interesting fact with the House: Reform came out by far the worst in our recent RAG—red, amber, green—rating exercise, with a massive 25% of Reform-led councils rated “red”.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific monitoring details not provided. Only general statement about council's obligation to publish spending information made.

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Q6 Olly Glover Lib Dem Didcot and Wantage
Transport
Context

The MP references research indicating better pothole management in Europe, questioning if good practices should be adopted from other countries.

Question

Road Emulsion Association research has found that 57% of UK drivers experience fewer and less severe potholes on Europe's motorways compared with ours. That was confirmed by Office of Rail and Road benchmarking, which identified that the Netherlands' strategic road network had double the high standard of ride quality than UK roads. Does the Minister agree that we should embrace good road practices from other countries, and what steps is he taking to ensure that our money is well spent?

Answer from Simon Lightwood

We are almost doubling the amount of money going to local highways maintenance to turn the tide. That is why a massive percentage of the road investment strategy—something like £8.5 billion—is going on repairing and renewing our strategic road network.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Agreement with adopting international practices not addressed. Only statement about increased funding for maintenance provided.

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