Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Road Repairs: New Technology 2026-07-16

Thursday 16 July 2026 · 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 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government providing local authorities with 7.3 billion for road maintenance and pothole repair.
  • Government funding 30 million for Live Labs to equip bin lorries with cameras and AI for road condition monitoring.
  • Road safety strategy introduced by Government includes a red, amber and green rating system for local authorities.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Ellie Chowns Green
Transport Science & Technology Local Government
Context

Local authorities are seeking better technology to manage potholes and road defects. The Government has previously announced funding but details on specific technological adoption remain unclear.

Question

What support she plans to provide to local authorities to help them adopt new technologies for tackling potholes and road defects?

Answer from Simon Lightwood

The Government are providing local authorities with a record £7.3 billion investment in local road maintenance, giving councils the long-term certainty that they need to fix potholes, repair road defects and adopt a more preventive approach to maintenance. Some of the funding is being used to incentivise best practice and innovation. In addition, the Government have funded £30 million for Live Labs 2 programming, which is testing innovative materials, new technologies and maintenance techniques to help authorities improve road conditions while reducing costs and disruption.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q2 Ellie Chowns Green
Transport Science & Technology Local Government
Context

A suggestion has been made to utilize the frequent travel of bin lorries as a means to detect potholes early through advanced technology, which has shown success in Australia.

Question

Potholes are the bane of all our lives, including for my constituents, but I have a cunning plan: we could fix potholes much faster by tapping into the superpowers of bin men and women. Bin lorries travel every road every week. Why not equip them with cameras and AI-enabled technology, so that they can spot, map and log potholes immediately, as soon as they appear? That would significantly speed up the process of fixing them. This has been done very successfully in Australia. Will the Department for Transport work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that local authorities have the funding and co-ordination needed to adopt this fantastic technology nationwide?

Answer from Simon Lightwood

That is exactly why the Government have funded the £30 million for Live Labs 2. We want councils to have access to the best available evidence on the condition of their roads. We have introduced a new road conditioning monitoring standard that enables local authorities to use a range of approved technologies, including innovative AI-based systems, to collect consistent and reliable data.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Co-ordination between departments for specific implementation was not addressed in detail.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q3 Sarah Russell Lab
Transport
Context

With the recent funding, there has been noticeable improvement in potholes but concerns remain about overall road safety. The previous government's neglect created a backlog that is now being addressed.

Question

In my area, the improvement on potholes is noticeable, and I thank the Government for the additional funding, which is being used for large patching work; no longer is there just shovelling into endless holes. I am concerned, however, about road safety in my constituency. Understandably, the money has been prioritised for addressing the enormous backlog of roadworks that developed under the last Government. What more can we do to ensure safety, as well as good road conditions?

Answer from Simon Lightwood

My hon. Friend will be aware that this Government brought forward, for the first time in over a decade, a road safety strategy. In addition, we have introduced a red, amber and green rating of local authorities, to identify where extra support is necessary in order to improve systems and practices, so that we can banish the potholes once and for all.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific additional measures or funding for road safety was not provided.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)