Nottinghamshire’s roads are set for a further £64m funding boost after the county council made a special request to East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward.
The county council had already been allocated £47m for highway asset maintenance in 2026/27 by the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), as part of a wider package for Nottinghamshire, Nottingham, Derby and Derbyshire.
It will now receive additional funding over the next three years after submitting a business case setting out why more money was needed.
However, Ms Ward has played down suggestions that Nottinghamshire could receive some of the cash earlier than planned.
County council documents published this week show the authority wants to accelerate its highway maintenance programme and complete works more quickly. To do that, it hoped to bring forward £20m of funding due in 2027/28, subject to EMCCA approval.
The documents warn that if EMCCA does not support the accelerated funding, the council may need short-term borrowing to bridge the gap, creating extra budget pressures because of interest costs.
Ms Ward said: “They will get their money but they also know they can plan for the next three years because they’ve got that funding.
“If they decide that they want to borrow against that longer-term income, that’s a matter for them.
“I’m not here to run Nottinghamshire County Council. That is their decision. That is a matter for them how they deliver it.
“They cannot say that they have not received more than generous levels of funding to fix the roads.”
The extra £64m is solely for Nottinghamshire and was agreed by EMCCA’s transport committee on April 2, with no objections raised by members from the region’s constituent authorities.
The funding is expected to be split across the next three financial years, with around £13m in 2026/27 and further allocations of between £20m and £25m in each of the following two years.
The decision follows earlier debate over whether a separate unallocated £19m from EMCCA’s asset maintenance pot should go to Nottinghamshire.
Ms Ward said the county council had now made a stronger case for extra support.
She said: “The council asked me for more money specifically and I worked with them to say: ‘Yes, but you need to show me what more you’re going to deliver for that and you also need to show me how we can use what you do in this area as almost like a test base for the rest of the region.’
“I will hold the council to account on it. They’ve told me that they are very pleased. I recently met with county council leader Mick Barton, who expressed his gratitude for that additional funding and has reassured me that they plan to spend that to improve the roads and get it up to the standards that we want.
“It proves my point that if you work with me and make a good case then EMCCA can deliver funding – because it is a priority for me to see those roads improved.”
EMCCA documents say Nottinghamshire County Council raised concerns not only about road surfaces, but also the wider highway network environment.
The authority said the money would allow it to deliver a broader local highways programme, improve network standards and provide wider benefits.
EMCCA says Nottinghamshire’s approach will also be used as a regional testbed, with the results evaluated during the early years of delivery before any potential wider rollout.
The proposed funding boost will go before EMCCA’s full board in June for final approval.
More about Nottinghamshire roads
- JCB Pothole Pro machines to be repairing Nottinghamshire’s roads in two weeks
- Council to inject extra £59m into fixing roads on top of £122m announced last month
- Nottinghamshire rolls out new pothole teams to fix roads first-time permanently
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