Warning on pothole budget as Harrogate drivers battle with the miserable state of roads
North Yorkshire is to share in £48 million extra cash to repair potholes across Yorkshire and Humber but only if its council meets tough new performance targets.
In total, £1.6 billion of Government investment is to be delivered to councils across the country from next month to tackle the scourge of potholes.
But Prime Minister Keir Starmer is warning councils they must prove they are fixing potholes or lose the cash.
To get the full amount, all councils in England will be required to publish annual progress reports and prove public confidence in their work.
Local authorities who fail to meet these strict conditions will lose 25% of their pothole funding.
The Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “After years of neglect, we’re unblocking Yorkshire and The Humber’s roads - fixing the plague of potholes, building vital roads and ensuring every penny is delivering results for the taxpayer."
The change of approach to a problem which causes misery for motorists, cyclists and businesses, follows news that North Yorkshire Council has spent £124m on pothole and road repairs and maintenance in the last three years.
In a sign of the problems that built up during the previous government’s lengthy term in office, there has also been a stark rise in the number of compensation claims lodged against North Yorkshire Council for damage caused by the craters, with the figure at a three-year-high.
To ensure councils such as North Yorkshire’s are taking action, they must now publish reports on their websites by June 30, 2025, detailing how much they are spending, how many potholes they have filled, what percentage of their roads are in what condition, and how they are minimising streetworks disruption.
They will also be required to show they are spending more on long-term preventative maintenance programmes .
The Government action comes as figures from the RAC show drivers encounter an average of six potholes per mile in England and Wales, with damage to cars costing an average £600 to fix.
Some estimates put the cost of clearing the entire pothole repair backlog in England and Wales at a whopping £16bn.