Spending on local roads has fallen by half in just under two decades, more than in almost any other OECD country, the Local Government Association (LGA) has found.
Figures from the OECD – a group of 38 ‘high income countries’– show that £4bn was spent in 2006 on UK local road maintenance compared with £2bn in 2019 – the last year of comparable data available.
The UK spending profile was largely consistent from 2000-2008, keeping around the £4bn mark. Following the financial crisis, it dropped significantly and never recovered.
In comparison, Sweden, Denmark, the United States, Japan and New Zealand all increased spending by around half from 2006-2019, the LGA said, while countries including France, Finland and Canada protected road repair budgets more than the UK did.
Only Italy and Ireland have seen similar drops in spending on local roads.
The LGA's latest residents' satisfaction polling found that only 34% were satisfied with local road maintenance - the lowest level recorded since the survey began in 2012.
And the latest Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey from the Asphalt Industry Alliance showed councils in England and Wales face a record £14bn repair backlog - the highest recorded in 28 years of ALARM surveys.
The LGA, which represents councils across England and Wales, has called on central government to work with it to create 'a devolved, long-term plan for our local roads', built on a foundation of 'greater and more consistent funding' on a par with other leading countries.
The lobbying push from council bosses coincides with the Conservative Government's recent moves to push a 'pro-motoring' agenda ahead of the next general election.
The LGA has called on all political parties 'to pledge to a 10-year programme where current funding for local roads and local transport infrastructure is boosted by devolving the equivalent of 2p of existing fuel duty'.
Vehicle excise duty in England is nominally set aside to pay for the National Roads Fund, which invests in the strategic road network and the local major road network.
Council leaders also called for fully devolved powers over all local transport, with five-year funding settlements similar to Network Rail and National Highways.
The LGA argued that Government currently spends 31 times more per mile on maintaining motorways than on local roads.
LGA chair Cllr Shaun Davies 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.
'In order to support motorists, the Government should take this opportunity to work with councils to develop a long-term, fully-funded programme to catch up with the backlog. Ultimately, all local transport decisions should be devolved to councils, who are best placed in determining what is a priority for their areas.
'As well as this, we would urge all parties to commit to invest in our local road network at the next general election, which is so important to our residents and our business community.'
AIA chair Rick Green said: 'The link between continued underinvestment and the ongoing structural decline and below-par surface conditions of our local roads is clear.
'We support the LGA's call for committed investment in local roads and a longer-term approach. The AIA also believes that more local highway budget ringfencing is needed to ensure that funds are directed to the type of works that deliver the best value for money, lower lifetime carbon impacts as well as enhancing conditions and improving the resilience of the local road network.'
