𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Britain could be kept “pothole-free for years” if billions in infrastructure cash that sits unspent in local authority bank accounts is put to use fixing roads, new research claims. Around £5.4 billion – enough to fix more than 50million potholes – has been paid to councils by developers and, a new report argues, is waiting to be unlocked. Developers are required to make so-called “section 106” payments to offset the impact of projects on local communities. But research by the Urban Mobility Partnership (UMP) found that by the end of March 2024, billions had yet to be spent.

Julian Scriven, who chairs the partnership and is the managing director of Brompton Bike Hire, said: “The amount of unspent section 106 money around the country is truly astonishing when you consider how many local authorities are struggling to deliver key projects. This is funding that could be actively making people’s lives better by reducing congestion, improving roads, shortening commutes, supporting active travel and improving bus services right now. This money is not hypothetical – it already exists and would require a single penny of extra tax. Spending it better and faster does not require new taxes or an Act of Parliament. As our report shows, a handful of common-sense clarifications to central government guidance could unlock billions for local infrastructure almost immediately.”

The Government is being urged to reform the system to make it easier for the cash to be invested in local communities. At least £700million is understood to be earmarked specifically for transport-related schemes. The UMP says this could “transform active travel across the country”.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, warned of the real danger posed by potholes.

He said: “Potholes are a very visible and, literally, growing problem on many roads as tens of millions of riders and drivers will attest to. At best, they’re an inconvenience and vehicle-damaging phenomenon. At worst they threaten life and limb. The recent weeks of incessant rain will only have speeded up the deterioration.”

He recommended that money is spent preventing potholes emerging in the first place.

“Any spare cash could always find a home in the road maintenance budget but alongside more money there must be a proper plan for managing and maintaining road surfaces,” he said. “The risk is that you start throwing too much good money after bad to patch potholes when the challenge is to keep the whole width of the carriageway in good shape in the first place, prevention being better than cure. Five billion is clearly a lot of money but without a proper plan for stopping the rot it will all too quickly get swallowed up by the seemingly endless number of potholes.”

As well as funding bus stops, cycle lanes and road improvements, the cash can be used to support affordable housing and “public realm upgrades”.

Parliamentary backing for the call has come from Tessa Munt, MP for Wells and Mendip Hills.

She said: “The system for supporting local communities with funding needs to be streamlined and made much more flexible. I know from experience in my own area that funds can end up being taken back by developers if they remain unspent for too long.

“This is money that’s already in the bank. Let’s help set it free and put more of it to work more quickly in more of our communities.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said: “This money should be used to build the homes and infrastructure people need. While councils can hold funds to make sure they are spent effectively and at the right point in a project, they must provide annual updates on how they are spent, to make sure they are held to account.”