Title

HIGHWAYS

Budget 2020: £27bn for national roads and £2.5bn for potholes

Chancellor Rishi Sunak pledged an extra £2.5bn for local road maintenance in the Budget.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak pledged an extra £2.5bn for local road maintenance in the Budget.

Councils will get an extra £500m a year from 2020/21 to 2024/25 through a new potholes fund.

The Treasury said the cash will 'fix up to 50 million potholes ... but will also be available for local authorities to undertake longer-term road resurfacing works to prevent potholes from appearing in the first place'.

Officials said this would lead to a 50% increase in local road maintenance budgets in 2020/21.

The Budget also confirmed the development of 15 local road upgrades across the country.

However, the National Infrastructure Strategy has been delayed until ‘later in the spring'.

Speaking ahead of the announcement, shadow chancellor John McDonnell criticised the Government for ‘shelving the National Infrastructure Strategy in place of a gimmicky grab-bag of projects'.

He said: ‘This rehash of Theresa May's pothole fund is another policy announcement that shows the Tories trying to patch up problems they have created without getting a grip on the underlying state of infrastructure in this country.'

HIGHWAYS

Nine councils in Derbyshire unite behind two unitaries

By Ann McGauran | 27 October 2025

Derbyshire's councils have moved closer to a consensus with the county on reorganisation now that joint proposals for two unitaries are set to be considered ...

HIGHWAYS

Peer warning over Redbridge finances

By Joe Lepper | 21 October 2025

Redbridge LBC will be forced to seek exceptional financial support (EFS), a review has warned.

HIGHWAYS

LGR could be what adult social care needs

By Cllr Daniel Cowan | 20 October 2025

Cllr Daniel Cowan says reorganisation offers an opportunity to reimagine adult social care, and a five-unitary model for Essex would reduce reliance on the h...

HIGHWAYS

Navigating the new procurement landscape

By Jonathan Werran | 16 October 2025

A Localis study puts forward a series of recommendations on how councils can make the most of the new procurement landscape. Jonathan Werran says local autho...

Popular articles by Chris Ames