Councils fear bumpy ride ahead over pothole funds change

Ministers have changed the rules for distributing funding for roads maintenance amid concern the old system offered little incentive for authorities to improve their highways.

Although funding for maintenance of local roads is being cut, Ministers have committed 3bn over the next year and demanded it should be a "priority" for local authorities.

"With limited resources available, it is essential that highways maintenance continues to be prioritised, reflecting the economic and social importance to local communities, the need to safeguard the largest single local public asset and the liabilities for future years that can be created from short-term cuts in maintenance," said a spokesman for the Department for Transport.

The changes have been made to the Highways Maintenance Block Grant, which covers the maintenance of all roads and carriageways plus footways, bridges, street lights, signs and traffic lights and is also used to pay for major road resurfacing.

Until now, authorities with poor road conditions have received extra funding to help tackle the problems. But the Government decided the scheme punished councils which worked hard to keep highways in good condition, while those that failed to perform well benefited from extra cash.

Councils across the region will now be assessing whether they have won or lost from the changes which were announced yesterday.

Regional and Local Transport Minister Norman Baker said: "It is only right that Government funding is distributed fairly and evenly across the country so that authorities can deliver vital services to their local communities efficiently and effectively.

"That is why we have updated the way we distribute transport funding, to ensure that the amounts local authorities received are based on their transport needs."