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K cuts to spending on tackling potholes are among the most severe out of 13 major nations, according to new analysis.
Annual expenditure on local roads maintenance in the UK fell from £4 billion in 2006 to £2 billion in 2019, which was the last year of international comparable data available.
The Local Government Association (LGA), which analysed figures produced by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), said out of 13 countries only Italy and Ireland have seen deeper cuts by percentage.
The US, Japan, New Zealand, Austria and Sweden have all increased spending by around half over the same period, while France, Canada and Finland have protected their pothole repair budgets more than the UK.
The LGA is calling on all UK political parties to commit to a 10-year programme where current funding for local roads is boosted by devolving the equivalent of 2p per litre of existing fuel duty, to help councils reverse the “decline” in road conditions.
The cost of bringing pothole-plagued local roads in England and Wales up to scratch has been estimated at £14 billion.
Shaun Davies, who chairs the LGA, said: “The UK has fallen from the top to almost the bottom of the league when it comes to the amount we spend on repairing our local roads.
“Decades of reductions in funding from central Government to local road repair budgets have left councils facing the biggest ever annual pothole repair backlog.
“Positive extra funding in the recent Budget will help, but councils still face considerable challenges when trying to get on top of this pothole blight.”
AA president Edmund King said: “While winter damage on main roads is fixed fairly rapidly in the spring, residential and rural roads remain blighted by potholes.
“This is not only a threat to vehicles but a danger to pedestrians and cyclists who are more active at this time of year.”
The Government increased its Potholes Fund – which provides money to councils in England to tackle the issue – by £200 million to £700 million for the current financial year.
Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “The Prime Minister posed as a friend of the motorist – but his broken promises have left millions of potholes on our roads.
“Lined up side by side, the giant Tory pothole would stretch from London to John O’Groats and back again.
“After 13 years, Tory promises, just like our roads, are falling apart,” the Labour MP said.
A Government spokesperson said: “We’re spending more than £5 billion from 2020 to 2025, with an extra £200 million announced at the Budget in March, to resurface roads up and down the country – enough to fix millions of potholes.
“This year we’ve made £58.7 billion available to local councils, a £5.1 billion increase on last year, the majority of which is unringfenced and can be used on local priorities such as road maintenance.
“We’ve also brought in new rules to clamp down on utility companies leaving potholes behind after carrying out street works.”
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