Comment on implications for local roads following Autumn 2020 Spending Review

Rick Green, Chair, Asphalt Industry Alliance, commented:

“Our local roads played a vital role in keeping the country functioning this year, supporting the emergency services and facilitating the distribution of food and goods, and today’s funding announcements reflect that the Government recognises the need to invest in the local road network as we build back better.

“While these spending commitments are welcome in these challenging times, we are aware that the sums outlined will not be enough to plug the existing multi-billion pound backlog in road maintenance funding and so our ageing network will continue to decline.

“What’s needed going forward is an additional investment of £1.5 billion a year for 10 years, to improve the experience of all road users, support recovery and deliver a much-needed boost to the economy.”

 

 

Rick Green, Chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance, comments on the recent DfT announcement to carry out road audit to map potholes:

“The Government’s announcement to carry out a road audit to map the location of the country’s potholes will certainly highlight the scale of the problem.

“Identifying millions of potholes, however, is not really the problem. As our Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey illustrates, the issue is long-term underfunding and the resulting £11 billion road repairs backlog in England and Wales.

“Properly funding authorities to maintain local roads would help stop potholes forming in the first place and should be the priority.”

Local road maintenance must get fair share of Government infrastructure investment

 AIA calls for fair share of investment for maintaining local roads

 The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) is calling for local road maintenance to receive a fair share of the Government’s planned infrastructure investment earmarked to stimulate the economy.

With £100 billion of spending pledged and £4 billion of ‘shovel ready’ projects identified[1], the AIA advocates that maintaining local roads should be high up the list of Government spending priorities to help underpin recovery as well as tackling the impact of years of underfunding in the network.

The AIA’s 2020 Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey highlights that it would take 11 years and cost £11.14 billion to bring the local road network up to a position from which it could be maintained cost-effectively going forward. Investment in local roads now would improve the experience of all road users as well as delivering a much-needed boost for economic regrowth.

“Properly funding local authorities to carry out cost-effective, planned, preventative maintenance programmes would reduce future costs of more extensive repairs or replacement as well as encouraging cycling, cutting congestion and improving air quality,” explained AIA Chair, Rick Green.

“It makes sound economic sense too, as the DfT’s own commissioned research has shown that investing in local roads is an effective way to boost the economy, with significant

additional spending on local roads potentially providing cost benefits of more than 4.5 times[2].”

The AIA’s ALARM survey, now in its 25th year, provides detailed insight into the funding and conditions of our vital local road network and its findings are used by stakeholders across the sector for benchmarking and planning purposes. This year’s findings show that average local authority highway maintenance funding is 20 per cent less in real terms than in 2010 with one in five local roads now classed as structurally poor.

“Additional investment in our local roads will also contribute towards the Government’s levelling-up strategy and social cohesion goals, as well as complementing ambitions for more active forms of travel with widened footways and upgraded cycle routes,” Rick said.

For more information, or to arrange an interview with an AIA spokesperson, please contact:

AIA press office: 020 7222 0136 or 07977 019648

Email: info@asphaltuk.org

Twitter: @AIA_Asphalt

Website: www.asphaltuk.org

Notes to editors

The Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey is produced by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA). Now in its 25th year, the report is widely respected throughout industry and local and national government as the most authoritative and comprehensive study into local road maintenance funding and condition.

The 2020 ALARM survey’s findings relate to roads maintained by local authorities only and therefore excludes those forming the Strategic Road Network (SRN), which is managed by Highways England.

ALARM survey reports from previous years can be accessed via www.asphaltuk.org and a broad range of road-related statistics are collated on www.roadusers.org.uk

 

[1] Glenigan: ‘Shovel ready infrastructure’ June 2020

[2] ‘Valuing the wider benefits of road maintenance funding’ Philipp Thiessen (DfT), John Collins (DfT), Tom Buckland (TRL) and Richard Abbell (TRL) 2016

25 years of ALARM and still no silver lining

The findings of this year’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey indicate that, while a step in the right direction, the Chancellor’s additional £2.5 billion pothole pledge is not enough to plug the gap in local road maintenance budgets, let alone the rising backlog of repairs.

 Now in its 25th year, the ALARM survey, published today (March 24, 2020) by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), shows that the green shoots of improving conditions reported in 2019 have not been sustained, with local authorities having to cope with an average drop in overall highway maintenance budgets of 16%.

And, with overall local authority spending down, highway teams have been allocated a smaller slice of a smaller cake to maintain the road surface and structure, which has led to a widening funding gap in the amount needed to maintain the carriageway to target conditions.

ALARM 2020 reports that this shortfall is now an average of £4.9 million (£5.4m in England) for local authorities across England, London and Wales, up from £3.9 million last year.

Less funding for the carriageway inevitably means less maintenance, and this is borne out by ALARM 2020’s reported reduction in pothole repairs, downward target adjustments and declining structural road conditions.

This year there are 7,240 fewer miles of road reported to be in GOOD structural condition, with 15 years or more of life remaining, and 1,100 more miles of roads classed as POOR, with less than 5 years’ life remaining, bringing the total in this category to 42,675 miles. And, in the middle, there is a continued increase in the number classed as ADEQUATE, with between 5-15 years’ life remaining, suggesting an ongoing slide towards mediocrity.

Rick Green, Chair of the AIA, said: “Highway maintenance budgets have dropped back to where they were two years ago. Over the past 25 years we have repeatedly seen this pattern of short-term cash injections to stem accelerating decline, only to be followed by further years of underfunding. This stop-start approach has been wasteful and does nothing to improve the condition of local road network on which we all rely. In fact, it has just contributed to a rising bill to put things right.

“The £2.5 billion extra funding over the next five years announced in the Budget will certainly be welcomed by hard-pressed local authority highway teams dealing with increasing demands on smaller budgets, as well as the effects of extreme weather events, such as the recent storms, on an ageing network.

“However, £500 million extra a year divided across English local authorities is a long way off the one-time catch-up cost of £11.14 billion that ALARM 2020 indicates is needed to bring our local roads across England, London and Wales up to a level from which they can be maintained cost effectively going forward.

“What’s needed is additional and sustained investment to help underpin the Government’s levelling-up strategy and social cohesion goals, as well as complement its ambitions for more sustainable modes of transport.

“Twenty-five years on and we are dealing with new and unprecedented challenges and understandably resources will need to be prioritised accordingly in the short-term. Looking ahead, however, a sustainably-funded, well-maintained local road network will be key to supporting recovery and regrowth.”

The full ALARM survey will be available to download from 00.01 hours on Tuesday 24th March by visiting www.asphaltuk.org

Key facts

  • Average highway maintenance budgets down 16% – to £20.7 million per authority, down from £24.5 million reported in 2019.
  • Local authorities reported that, on average, 50% of the average annual highway maintenance is spent on the carriageway. (55% in 2019)
  • Disparity of funding – ranging from less than £1,300 per mile of local authority road network to more than £51,000 per mile.
  • £826.6 million – carriageway budget shortfall through 2019 (£5.4 million per authority in England; £3.6 million in London and £4.2 million in Wales).
  • £11.14 billion – estimated one-time cost to get roads back into a reasonable, steady state up from £9.79 billion reported in 2019 (£85.4 million per authority in England; £24.3 million in London and £32.8 million in Wales).
  • 11 years – estimated time it would take to clear the maintenance backlog if local authorities had the funding and resources available to do the work.
  • 66 years – average time before a road is resurfaced (76 years in England; 36 years in London and 58 years in Wales).
  • A pothole is filled every 21 seconds in England and Wales.
  • £22.8 million – total cost of dealing with compensation claims, including £8.1 million paid out in compensation.

ALARM 2020 press release supporting comments

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said:

“Given the coronavirus spending pressures the Chancellor will be facing this year now doesn’t feel like the right moment to demand a further post-budget boost on maintenance spending. But looking further ahead to the period post-coronavirus, and the likely need to stimulate the economy, this report should prompt government to consider committing to an ambitious maintenance initiative for the most important local roads set at a similarly high and sustained level it has just set for Highways England.”

Nick Chamberlin, Policy Manger British Cycling said: 

We know that potholes and poor road surfaces pose a serious hazard to people riding bikes. For the health of the nation we need to enable more people to choose cycling, not less. A once in a generation investment in our local road network is good for everyone and good for the country. We hope that the Minister pays close attention to the findings of the ALARM survey.

Nicholas Lyes, Head of Roads Policy, RAC, said:

“The AIA’s report yet again highlights how fragile our local roads are. It should be hugely concerning to the Government that there are 1,100 more miles of local road network with just five years’ life remaining than last year. It is also concerning that the one-off cost to fix Britain’s local roads has increased again – highlighting the strain many local authorities are under to repair what is a strategic asset. While the Chancellor’s recent announcement of £2.5bn over the next five years is welcome, the report suggests this is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed to bring our roads up to an adequate level.”

Cllr David Renard, The Local Government Association’s transport spokesman, said:

“Councils share the frustration of motorists about the state of our local roads and, as this survey shows, fixing our roads is a priority for them. Despite the financial pressures councils face, they continue to fix a pothole every 21 seconds.

“Yet despite these efforts, it is clear that our roads are deteriorating at a faster rate than can be repaired by councils, with the cost of clearing our national roads backlog on the rise and now over £10 billion.

“Additional funding announced in the Budget will help councils to do more to maintain our roads this year and tackle our local road repairs backlog, and we look forward to seeing the details of how this money will be allocated between councils.

“To help councils go further to maintain our roads, they need devolved infrastructure and public transport budgets – ensuring a funding allocation in advance for five years, which would enable them to deliver infrastructure improvements that allow people to move around in less carbon intensive and more sustainable ways.”

Edmund King OBE, AA president said:

“The state of Britain’s roads continues to be a talking point for drivers, cyclists and motorcyclists alike as they continue to crumble and break. Local roads need levelling out, not just levelling up!

“In particular, official road maintenance expenditure figures show a very uneven use of emergency pothole funds where main roads received extra spending for two years but residential streets and minor roads received less. Even with boosted maintenance expenditure for these minor roads in 2018-2019, the amount spent annually remained lower than the decade before.

“This has manifested itself in FOI evidence showing fewer claims but sustained levels of compensation, particularly for cyclists.

“Councils across England and Wales are trying their best to fill the holes, but the reality is the £2.5 billion pothole fund allocated in the recent Budget won’t do the job.

“With roads being resurfaced on average once every 76 years, we’d recommend lucky residents celebrate the moment as it truly is a once in a lifetime achievement.”

Keir Gallagher, Cycling UK’s campaigns manager and head of pothole reporting tool Fill That Hole

“Each successive government the UK has had over the last 12 years has played pass the parcel with Britain’s pothole problem and done nothing. This Government talks about levelling up by spending £27bn on new roads, when investing just a third of that could fix the local roads we all use every day.”

Steve Spender, Institute of Highway Engineers

“The IHE continues to support the AIA, who through the publication of the ALARM survey over the last 25 years has provided a good annual barometer of the true condition of our local highway networks. Once again, this year’s report provides a clear indication that there is a need for an increase in real terms of the funding necessary to bring the network back to a suitable standard.

“With average highway maintenance budgets down by approximately 16%, and the estimated cost for getting our roads back to reasonable state of over £11bn, this can only create a situation where reactive repairs are the chosen option rather than the necessary proactive planned approach. Whist welcoming the recent budget announcement of an additional £2.5bn over the next 5 years this only equates to £500m across the English authorities which falls well short of what in real terms is required to protect our networks for the future. The financial pressure on local authorities continues to be a challenge particularly following the effects of the recent severe weather and damage caused by the extensive flooding which will result in an inevitable increase in the pressure on already stretched highway budgets.”

 

Implications for local roads of March budget

“Over £1 billion has been wasted chasing and filling potholes on local roads over the last decade[1]. What’s needed is sustained investment in effective road maintenance to improve the condition of our local roads and help prevent potholes forming in the first place.

“The £2.5 billion extra funding over five years announced by the Chancellor today will certainly be welcomed by hard-pressed local authorities dealing with reduced highway maintenance budgets, the effects of extreme weather events such as the recent storms and an ageing network.

“However, £500 million extra a year divided across English local authorities is still a fraction of the amount needed to deal with decades of underfunding, which have led to deteriorating conditions and a rising one-time catch up cost[2] to fix the problem.

“It’s a positive move that the new Government has recognised the need to allocate much-needed additional funding to our vital local road network. It is certainly a large step in the right direction and we look forward to hearing more detail from the Secretary of State for Transport.

“We believe that what’s needed is an investment of £1.5 billion extra per year, for 10 years, to bring local road conditions up to a level from which they can be maintained cost effectively to ensure a more resilient network going forward.”

 

Rick Green, Chair, Asphalt Industry Alliance.

[1] Based on findings of ALARM surveys 2010-2019
[2] Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance Survey 2019 reports that the estimated one-time catch-up cost to get roads back into a steady state, from which they can be maintained cost-effectively going forward in line with asset management principles, is £9.31 billion.

Investment needed in local roads

COMMENT FROM THE ASPHALT INDUSTRY ALLIANCE ON THE NEED TO INVEST IN THE LOCAL ROAD NETWORK

“Over £1 billion has been spent on chasing and filling potholes over the last decade* – what a waste. What’s needed is investment in effective road maintenance, which will improve the condition of our roads and help prevent potholes from forming in the first place.

“It’s promising that the new Government has recognised the need to ramp up spending on infrastructure in general, but this must include properly funding the maintenance of existing transport networks, such as our vital local roads, just as much as on headline grabbing new schemes.

“We’ve been calling for £1.5 billion extra per year for the next 10 years to bring local road conditions up to a level from which they can be maintained cost effectively going forward. This investment would be a really sensible allocation of part of the £100 billion five-year pot being pledged by Government and it would be really remiss if local roads, on which we all depend, were left out.”

*- based on findings of ALARM surveys 2010-2019

Rick Green, Chairman of the Asphalt Industry Alliance.

Response to the TSC’s report

“We agree with the Transport Select Committee’s report and the Government’s response on the need for a long-term approach to investment in highways maintenance.

“Our Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey* highlights that [in England only] there is an average annual shortfall of £4.1m per authority in highways maintenance budgets, with a £8 billion bill to fix the backlog.

“We believe that an extra £1 billion, each year for 10 years, [England only] is needed to bring road conditions up to a level from which they can be maintained cost effectively going forward. We hope those in control of the purse strings will heed the calls for a significant long-term settlement.”

Rick Green, Chairman of the Asphalt Industry Alliance.

* ALARM 2019 reported that local authorities need £9.8 billion (£7.97 billion, England only) 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 (£1 billion extra for England only) is needed.

Statement following the Chancellor’s Spending Review Statement

It was good hear the Chancellor acknowledge the importance of infrastructure investment in his statement today and we hope that funding for local roads is prioritised by the Government when more details are shared later this Autumn.

Every journey starts or ends on a local road and they make up 98% of the road network. We rely on them every day for the distribution of goods and services and to get to work, school and hospital appointments, but our Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance Survey (ALARM) 2019 reported that the backlog of repairs is now £9.8 billion.

A long-term approach is needed to support this vital part of our infrastructure – a view supported by the Transport Select Committee’s (TSC) recent report on local roads funding and maintenance. We believe that an extra £1.5 billion per year, for 10 years, is needed to bring road conditions up to a level from which they can be maintained cost effectively going forward.

Comment from AIA on Transport Select Committee’s report ‘Local roads funding and maintenance: filling the gap’

“With our own ALARM survey highlighting that there is a highway maintenance backlog of more than £9 billion, it’s no surprise that the Transport Select Committee has concluded that the local road network needs investment.

“Local roads are the lifeblood of our economy and communities and we support the Committee’s call for a significant and front-loaded five-year funding settlement for local highway maintenance. We hope the Government will heed this call in its forthcoming Spending Review.”

Rick Green, Chairman of the Asphalt Industry Alliance.

Local roads investment still falling short

There are signs that an increase in local authority highway maintenance budgets is stemming the decline in the condition of the local road network, but the increased investment is still falling short of the amount needed to maintain local roads to target conditions.

This year’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey, published today (March 26 2019) by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), reports that, for the second consecutive year, local authorities’ highway maintenance budgets have increased by almost 20%. For councils in England and London this included a share of £420 million additional funding allocated in the November 2018 Budget.

The 24th ALARM report shows there are early signs that the extra money is halting further decline, after years of underfunding have led to a local road network on the edge. However, the one-time catch-up cost to fix the network continues to rise.

Rick Green, Chairman of the AIA, said: “There are glimmers of hope but, while overall highway maintenance budgets are up, there is still a big discrepancy between the haves and have nots. Some local authorities received the equivalent of more than £90,000 per mile of their individual networks, while a third continue to struggle with reduced budgets, with several having less than £9,000 per mile to maintain their local roads.

“Achieving target conditions on all categories of local roads – those that we all rely on every day – still remains out of reach. To put this into context, if local authorities had enough funds to meet their own targets across all road types it would give us more than 20,000 miles of improved local roads.
“It is encouraging that those in control of the purse strings seem to have recognised the value that additional expenditure on roads can deliver. But it’s clear from the 29% increase in the number of potholes filled in England and London, that much of this has been used for patch and mend. This doesn’t provide value for money, nor will it improve the underlying structure and resilience of our roads.

“With the amount needed to bring the local road network up to scratch still approaching £10 billion, sustained investment over a longer timeframe is needed if we want a local road network that supports enhanced mobility, connectivity and productivity.
“Last year the AIA set out that £1.5 billion additional funding was needed for local roads each year for the next 10 years to allow them to be brought up to a condition from which they can be managed in a cost-effective way. We stand by this call.”