£54 Million Boost for Staffordshire’s Roads and Potholes

Staffordshire will receive an additional £54.8 million in incentive funding to tackle potholes and improve road conditions, as part of Labour’s record investment in fixing Britain’s broken roads. This is a major boost for our county, and it will make a real difference to the everyday journeys people make to work, to school, to local shops and to see family and friends.

This extra funding is on top of the £147 million in baseline roads funding already allocated to Staffordshire for the current Spending Review period, taking total investment in our county’s roads to an unprecedented level. Together, this will help to fix more potholes, prevent new ones from forming, and target the roads that residents tell me time and again are in the worst condition. For motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and businesses alike, this means safer roads, fewer repairs to vehicles, and smoother, more reliable journeys.

This investment forms part of Labour’s wider £7.3 billion national programme to repair and renew local roads across England. Here in the West Midlands, around £800 million will be invested over the coming years. At the Budget, the Chancellor doubled annual roads funding so councils can fix potholes and prevent new ones forming – delivering on Labour’s promise to fix an extra one million potholes a year by the end of this Parliament.

We are also raising standards and accountability. More than 30% of local roads funding is now tied to transparency – up from just 8% previously. Councils will only unlock their full allocation if they publish clear pothole and maintenance data and follow best practice. That means residents will be able to see how money is being spent, and it will drive better value for every pound invested.

The funding, given to Staffordshire County Council, can be used flexibly to tackle local priorities – from residential streets to key commuter routes. But with this level of funding now confirmed, there can be no excuses.

Under the current administration, pothole repairs have fallen despite an extra £10.5 million in highways funding last year, and now with this further £54.8 million boost available there can be no excuses. Residents quite rightly expect to see fewer deep potholes, quicker repairs and properly maintained roads all year round. I will continue to hold the County Council’s leadership firmly to account until they deliver the real, visible improvements that people across Staffordshire deserve.