Potholes Emerge as Key Issue in UK Local Elections and Policy Changes

Concerns about potholes and road conditions have become prominent in the lead-up to the 2026 local, mayoral, and devolved elections in the UK, with recent polling and government measures highlighting the issue’s significance for voters and local authorities.

Polling conducted by YouGov in April 2026 found that more than a third of Britons considered roads—including potholes, parking, and congestion—among the most important local issues. In Birmingham, an ITV News Central poll published the same month indicated that 44% of residents placed potholes and road repairs as their second-highest concern, behind bin strikes.

The Department for Transport announced new rules on 14 April 2026 requiring local highway authorities in England to provide evidence of effective use of pothole and road maintenance funding. The department stated that authorities failing to meet these requirements could face the withholding of up to £525 million in funding, and those judged to be underperforming could lose as much as a third of their £1.6 billion annual highways allocation.

Additional measures published by the Department for Transport include multi-year funding certainty and planning support valued at £300,000 over two years for each of the 13 local highway authorities rated as “red.” These steps are intended to address ongoing concerns about road maintenance and spending practices.

What the numbers show

• In the 12 months to September 2025, potholes led to 25,758 RAC callouts, up 11% from the previous year
• The AA estimated vehicle damage costs at £645 million for the same period
• Councils repaired 990,840 potholes and paid about £11 million in compensation claims

The Public Accounts Committee published a report in January 2025 describing England’s local roads as a “national embarrassment.” The committee’s findings included criticism of the Department for Transport’s oversight and the short-term approach to funding, noting that the department did not track how councils spent over £1 billion annually on local road maintenance.

The same committee report stated that annual funding cycles encouraged councils to focus on reactive repairs rather than preventative maintenance. This approach, according to the committee, contributed to ongoing challenges in managing road quality and addressing defects like potholes.

Data from motoring organisations showed that pothole-related vehicle damage reached record levels in the year to September 2025. In that period, councils carried out nearly one million pothole repairs and paid out millions in compensation. Surrey County Council reported repairing over 15,000 potholes since January 2026, including more than 1,300 larger patch repairs targeting clusters of defects.

With roads and potholes ranking high among voter concerns, local authorities are under increased scrutiny to demonstrate effective use of maintenance funding and to address the persistent issues affecting road users across the country.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.