David Giles, chair at the Asphalt Industry Alliance, on the appointment of Lilian Greenwood MP as Future of Roads Minister and the key challenges ahead to improve local road conditions.

David Giles, chair, Asphalt Industry Alliance

We look forward to working with the new Ministerial team at the DfT on efforts to improve the condition of our local road network and acknowledge Labour’s manifesto promise to “maintain and renew our road network”, through investment.

However, given the £16.3bn highway repair backlog in England alone reported in our Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey report this year, it’s clear that incoming Transport Secretary Louise Haigh and Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood have a considerable challenge to address that funding gap in order to deliver tangible improvements to the local road network by the end of the Parliament.

Nevertheless, we are encouraged by Lilian Greenwood’s appointment as she is acutely aware of local road funding issues, having led an inquiry on the subject in 2018 – to which we submitted evidence – when she was chair of the Transport Select Committee.

A first step would be giving local authorities clarity on whether the new Government’s manifesto pledge to spend £65m each year is in addition to the funding reallocated from Network North funding*. Local authorities have built the £8.3bn announced by the previous administration into their budgets and are relying on it to begin tackling their maintenance backlog. Plus, more detail is needed on how maintenance funds will be rolled out and if there will be an effective ring-fence to ensure improvements.

The AIA has long called for sustained, targeted and accountable funding for local roads. Only by having a secure long-term funding horizon will local highways teams be able to plan effectively and carry out maintenance work in the timeliest way to the greatest benefit of all road users and the public purse.

*In October 2023 the Conservative Government announced an £8.3bn allocation to highways maintenance as part of the Network North plan in England (including London) between (2023/24 and 2033/4).