Labour-run Ealing Council has welcomed the Government’s statement on Monday (24 March 2025), which sets out plans to require councils to publish annual updates on tackling potholes or risk losing funding.
In its statement, the Government said: “From mid-April, local authorities in England will start to receive their share of the government’s record £1.6 billion highway maintenance funding, including an extra £500 million – enough to fill 7 million potholes a year.
“But to get the full amount, all councils in England must from today (24 March 2025) publish annual progress reports and prove public confidence in their work. Local authorities who fail to meet these strict conditions will see 25% of the uplift (£125 million in total) withheld.”
The Government has given councils until 30 June 2025 to publish reports on their websites showing how much they are spending, how many potholes have been filled, what condition the roads are in and how they are dealing with streetworks disruption.
Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer said: “British people are bored of seeing their politicians aimlessly pointing at potholes with no real plan to fix them. That ends with us. We’ve done our part by handing councils the cash and certainty they need – now it’s up to them to get on with the job, put that money to use and prove they’re delivering for their communities.”
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander MP added: “The public deserves to know how their councils are improving their local roads, which is why they will have to show progress or risk losing 25% of their £500 million funding boost.”
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, an Ealing Council spokesperson said: “Ealing Council welcomes the Prime Minister’s announcement on additional funding for highways, focusing on performance-based resources for potholes repairs.
“The council already takes a proactive approach to road maintenance, using advanced data systems to work more efficiently and carry out long-term repairs.
“Maintaining and improving the borough’s road network is one of our top priorities and staff have been working hard to achieve this. In the last two years, the Highway Authority in Ealing has:
- Over the last 2 years, repaired over 7500 potholes, costing around £494,000 in 2023 and £410,000 in 2024
- Delivered around 9 km in 2023 and 10.5 km in 2024 of preventative maintenance, resurfacing and structural maintenance
- Introduced sustainable materials and techniques for longer-lasting repairs
“We look forward to working with government to demonstrate our performance and secure the funding needed to keep our roads safe, reliable, and fit for purpose.”
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