29 October 2018

AIA hopes extra funding for announced in the budget is the first step towards sustained annual increases in local road maintenance funding

Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) comment re today’s budget announcement that there will be an extra £420 million for local authorities’ highway budgets in this financial year:

Please attribute quote to Rick Green, Chairman, Asphalt Industry Alliance

“The additional funds announced today will go some way towards tackling the annual shortfall local authorities have in their highway maintenance budgets[1], but remains significantly less than the £1.5 billion extra a year we believe is needed to bring local roads up to target conditions so that they can be maintained in a cost-effective way in the future.”

“Whilst today’s announcement recognises the important role local roads play in supporting the economy and keeping communities connected, it is not enough to stop the on-going decline of the local road network caused as a result of years of underfunding. Hopefully, it is a welcome first step towards sustained annual increases in local road maintenance funding.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

  • The AIA is a partnership between the Mineral Products Association (MPA) and Eurobitume UK. It aims to increase awareness of the asphalt industry and promote the uses and benefits of asphalt to specifiers, policy makers and the general public.
  • Each year the AIA commissions the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey to provide a detail picture of local road funding and maintenance issues. Now in its 23rd year, the ALARM survey is recognised as providing robust and reliable data on these issues.
    [1] ALARM 2018 reported that the total annual local authority budget shortfall in England and Wales (including London) was £555.7 million.
  • The AIA’s calls for an additional £1.5 billion per annum for local roads would bring annual local road network spending to £2.6 billion – the equivalent of @£12,000 per mile of local road – still a long way behind funding levels for the Strategic Road Network (SRN).
  • ALARM reports that local authorities need £9.3 billion to bring the network up to scratch. However, improving the network cannot be carried out on a straight-line curve – all work cannot be carried out at the same time and parts of the network will continue to deteriorate in the meantime. This is why a sustained 10-year period of additional £1.5 billion investment is needed.For more information please contact:
    Samantha Stagg or Madeleine Hardman, AIA press and information office:
    T: +44 (0)207 222 0136
    E: info@asphaltuk.org;
    W: www.asphaltuk.org

Back to press releases >