Capital spending on local roads in England is at its lowest level for well over a decade, according to a new report.
The new analysis, authored by transport consultant and RAC Foundation trustee David Bayliss, found that in the last two years only £1.8bn has been spent annually on capital works, such as road renewals and improvement. This is the lowest amount since 2001/2.
A large proportion of the money councils spend on capital works comes from the department for transport in the form of the Highways Maintenance Block Grant. This, according to The Condition of England’s Local Roads and how they are Funded, fell by 18% in real terms between 2011/12 and 2014/15.
English councils are responsible for maintaining 185,000 miles of local highways, 90% of which are minor roads. According to David Bayliss, almost one in five miles (18%) of these roads is in need of maintenance. This is four times more than motorways and major A roads.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said:
'What this work tries to do is unravel where money for highways maintenance comes from and where it is spent. The conclusions are worrying. Not only have there been big cuts in council budgets in recent times, there has also been uncertainty over what money will be available in the future.’
