William Eichler 20 June 2024

Lib Dem £300m pothole pledge ‘won’t scratch the surface’

Lib Dem £300m pothole pledge ‘won’t scratch the surface’  image
Image: O de R / Shutterstock.com.

The Liberal Democrats have committed to spending £300m over the next Parliament to fill 1.2 million potholes a year.

The party says it will redirect funds from the road-building budget to address the ‘pothole postcode lottery’, where some councils take up to 18 months to fix a pothole.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: ‘Only the Liberal Democrats have a real plan to fix the state of our roads by giving the money to local councils, who know their roads and are best placed to fix them.’

Responding to the announcement, RAC head of policy Simon Williams warned £300m ‘won’t even scratch the surface’.

‘While we agree with the premise of guaranteeing councils more road funding, the real question is whether the Lib Dems – and indeed the Labour party – would ensure the £8.3bn of funding the Conservatives had reallocated from HS2 to fix local roads is still given to local authorities should they win power,’ he said.

‘Without this sum, which itself is only enough to resurface 3% of all England’s council-run roads, the Lib Dems’ promised £300m won’t even scratch the surface of the UK’s pothole problem.’

Check out AIA chair Rick Green's feature: The great pothole repair failure.

For more on what local government stakeholders want from the next government, check out the following articles from our NextGov series:

NextGov: What the next government should do for children’s services

NextGov: Scrapping the two-child benefit cap

NextGov: Revitalising local democracy

UNISON: To whoever forms the next government…

NextGov: Boosting social mobility

NextGov: Planning under the next government

Sign up for more NextGov insights here.

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Finance Business Partner

West Northamptonshire Council
£49587 to £52860
Are you ready to take on a role where your financial expertise makes a real difference? We’re looking for a motivated and commercially minded Finance Business Partner to join our team, with a focus on housing and temporary accommodation. This opportunit Northampton
Recuriter: West Northamptonshire Council

Senior HR Adviser

Royal Borough of Greenwich
PO4 - £47,532 to £50,574
We’re entering an exciting new chapter. Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Customer Service Officer

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Band C SCP 5-8 (£25,583- £26,824 per annum)
We are looking to recruit for a Customer Service Officer to join an established team at Sandwell Libraries Sandwell, West Midlands
Recuriter: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

BCF Lead Projects Officer

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Band F, SCP26 - 31 (£37,280 - £41,771) per annum
Are you passionate about empowering vulnerable adults and helping them lead independent, safe, and dignified lives? Sandwell, West Midlands
Recuriter: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Senior Cleansing Technician x 2 Posts (CDC)

City Of Doncaster Council
Grade 6, £25,989 - £28,142
Do you enjoy working outside, as part of a team that make a direct difference to the communities of Doncaster? Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Recuriter: City Of Doncaster Council
Linkedin Banner