Just 3% of England’s road network maintained in past year, says RAC analysis
- Perry Richardson
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Only 3% of England’s 183,054-mile council-managed road network received any maintenance during the 2023/24 financial year, according to government figures analysed by the RAC.
A total of 4,894 miles were either strengthened, resurfaced or given preservation treatments, marking an 18% rise compared to the previous year. However, the overall volume of road maintenance remains significantly lower than in 2017/18, when 7,510 miles were maintained. That represents a 35% drop in activity over six years.
Just 5% of A roads – 817 miles of the 17,860-mile network – received maintenance in 2023/24. This is a third less than the 1,222 miles improved in 2017/18. For minor roads, the figures are worse still, with only 2% – 4,080 miles of the 165,195-mile network – maintained last year.
Preventative work designed to slow deterioration and reduce the formation of potholes was also limited. Half of councils (76 out of 152) did not apply any preservation treatments to their A roads. On B, C and unclassified roads, 36% of authorities failed to carry out any preventative work. That figure has risen since 2017/18 when only 28% of councils neglected such treatments.
Among those that did perform preservation work, there was a 23% rise in miles treated year-on-year, largely driven by efforts on minor roads. Councils preserved 3,309 miles in 2023/24 compared to 2,698 the year before. Most of the growth was on minor roads, up by 26%, while A roads saw a 4% rise.
In terms of resurfacing, 1,242 miles of roads were replaced across England, just 2% more than the previous year. Sixteen councils didn’t resurface any A roads, while 10 didn’t resurface any minor roads.
Regional variation remains significant. Gloucestershire resurfaced 24 miles of A roads, overtaking Kent to lead in that category. Staffordshire preserved 9% of its A road network, maintaining its lead for the second year. Surrey resurfaced 50 miles of minor roads – the most in the South East – while Norfolk topped preservation work on minor roads for the second year in a row, treating 302 miles.
Simon Williams, RAC head of policy, said: “It’s good to see an increase in the amount of road maintenance being carried out by councils from the previous financial year, but that’s hardly great progress given the 2022/23 figure was a five-year low.
“And it remains the case that still only a slither of England’s total road network is getting any maintenance attention whatsoever. This reinforces our belief that most councils are in a cycle of merely filling potholes, rather than looking after their roads properly.
“The bigger picture is far more concerning because it still shows a significant decline in the proportion of our roads strengthened, resurfaced or preserved compared to six years ago.
“As the Government has just given councils a record amount of funding to look after their roads, we hope to see a significant improvement in the quality of road surfaces due to the extra maintenance they will be able to carry out in the next 12 months.
“We encourage local authorities to focus on permanent solutions rather than trying to patch pothole-ridden roads that are beyond saving. This might include resurfacing or alternatives such as recycling existing materials in-situ. Surface dressing roads in better condition is also important as it ensures they stay that way for longer.
“The longer important preservation work, such as surface dressing, is neglected, the more the pothole problem prevails. With a third of councils failing to carry out any such work, it’s no surprise that RAC pothole-related breakdowns jumped by a fifth in the final three months of 2024.
“We strongly hope the next set of figures will show we’ve finally turned a corner towards smoother, safer, better roads.”
