Derbyshire’s highways chief has accused the Labour Government’s funding announcement of nearly £76m for the county and Nottinghamshire’s road and pothole repairs of being ‘smoke and mirrors’ – claiming most of the money simply reflects a usual maintenance grant.
Cllr Charlotte Cupit, Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport at Conservative-led Derbyshire County Council, claims the county council, which oversees the county’s roads, is still waiting for clarity over the exact amount it is likely to receive, which she fears will also be plagued by red tape.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced plans on 20 December to provide £1.6bn towards road maintenance to be divided among relevant highways councils – with nearly £76m allocated for the East Midlands Combined County Authority to share across Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council.
But Cllr Cupit said: “I’m afraid the Prime Minister’s warm words alone won’t fill potholes or resurface roads. The announcement by the Government of the highways funding allocations for next year just before Christmas sadly seems to be largely smoke and mirrors and far from a present.
“The bulk of this money appears to be the usual highways maintenance grant we would receive from Government each year, except we’re now still waiting for clarity on the exact amount that Derbyshire will get from the [East Midlands] Mayor – and it risks being wrapped up in bureaucracy and form-filling to prove we need the money for our roads and that we’ll use it on resurfacing.”
The Government claims each local authority in England will receive a cut of the budget for the next financial year – which the Government says will be £500m higher than the previous sum.
However, the Department for Transport has stated it will be holding back 25 per cent of the £500m uplift as an incentive until councils have shown they are ‘delivering’, to ensure authorities spend the money wisely and maintain roads to avoid further potholes.
In the meantime, each local authority is being encouraged to identify which of their roads are most in need of repair for when they receive their share of the funding for the 2025/26 financial year, to deliver immediate fixes for communities and raise living standards.
Road users in the East Midlands are also being urged to report potholes to their councils to help identify problem areas via an online GOV.UK website page.
Sir Keir Starmer stated that broken roads, which can risk lives and cost hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds in repairs, can be avoided through proper investment. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander says the Government’s £1.6bn investment aims to fix up to seven million more potholes in England during the 2025/26 financial year.
But Cllr Cupit added: “It seems so far that Derbyshire’s share of the £76m will be similar to what we usually get, or risks even being a reduction, as it appears to incorporate the pothole funds we’ve been receiving and sadly still doesn’t recognise the extreme weather events, record rainfall or landslips we have to deal with.
“It also doesn’t take into account the reduced funding we’ve had for our roads from Government this year or the apparent mothballing of the £176m that would’ve been for Derbyshire roads alone, as promised by the previous Government. We remain in limbo over what money we’ll get for our highways in future.”
Concerned, Cllr Cupit previously apologised in January 2024 for the state of Derbyshire’s pothole-ridden roads at that time, which was attributed to reduced investment, ageing highways, floods and freezing conditions during the winter months.
Following £1.1m of work on a new asphalting road treatment programme and the introduction of a new pothole repairing material called Roadmender Asphalt, Derbyshire County Council announced in September 2024 that it was set to accept £3.014m of Labour Government funding towards road maintenance and resurfacing.
Cllr Cupit added: “So, in Derbyshire, we’ll continue to push for the investment we need and focus on action – actually trying to improve and invest in our roads.
“Already this year we’ve done one of our biggest road resurfacing and highways programmes, as well as trialling new technologies like materials from recycled tyres to tackle potholes.”
Conservative Nottinghamshire County Council Leader, Cllr Sam Smith, has also raised similar concerns over a lack of detail surrounding the exact amount of pothole funding each council will receive under the latest Government announcement.
Cllr Smith said that Nottinghamshire County Council currently receives £25m in Government funding for road maintenance, but he fears the authority could – similarly to Derbyshire County Council’s concerns – end up with the same amount or less once the money is handed out.
The Labour East Midlands Mayor, Claire Ward, said she is yet to find out the specific details regarding the amounts of pothole funding each council will receive.
Ms Ward has nevertheless welcomed the Department for Transport’s announcement of nearly £76m in funding to tackle potholes and improve road quality across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire because she claims too many residents have endured poor road conditions for far too long.
She believes the funding will not only repair and upgrade some of the worst-affected roads but will also help drivers save money on vehicle repairs caused by potholes and improve safety for motorcyclists and cyclists.
Ms Ward added that she is looking forward to working with the region’s relevant four councils.
The Local Government Association has also welcomed the funding but has asked the Government to reconsider its decision to withhold a quarter of the £500m ‘uplift’ in funding until councils can prove they are ‘delivering’, because it feels local authorities need greater certainty over the funding. It has also requested greater long-term investment.
During the latest announcement, the Government explained it has also been looking at lane rental schemes, which allow councils to charge companies for the time their road works occupy highways, and it has revealed that at least 50 per cent of surplus lane rental funds will be reinvested into highways maintenance.
As part of devolved powers for the new East Midlands Combined County Authority, the Department for Transport is also consulting on possible new powers for regional mayors to approve lane rental schemes, claiming this will deliver more schemes and put power back into local hands.
The Transport Secretary has also announced a clampdown on disruptive street works with plans to double fixed penalty notices for utility companies who fail to comply with rules and to extend charges for street works that run into weekends.
