Record £1.6 billion investment to fill potholes and repair roads - RAC reaction

Commenting on today's major local roads funding announcement from the Government, RAC head of policy Simon Williams said:

“This is the biggest one-off road maintenance funding settlement councils in England have ever been given, so we have high hopes it’s the turning point that ends the degradation of our roads and finally delivers fit-for-purpose, smooth surfaces for drivers and all other road users.

“What’s particularly positive is that this announcement is not just about giving councils money to fix dangerous potholes, it comes with the important caveat of using the money wisely by carrying out preventative maintenance to stop more potholes appearing in the future. It’s also good to see the Government proactively encouraging drivers to report potholes, requiring councils to collect the right data to capture the true state of their road networks and incentivising authorities that use the money to good effect.”

The condition and maintenance of local roads is currently drivers number-one concern according to the latest annual Report on Motoring. The RAC also runs its Pothole Index, tracking the state of the UK's roads.