AIA comments on main political parties' manifestos
Asphalt Industry Alliance seeking more detail on targeted and accountable funding over the longer term
COMMENTING on the main political parties’ General Election 2024 manifestos, in particular Conservative and Labour pledges and commitments on local road maintenance funding, David Giles, director of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), said: ‘Fixing our roads is about more than filling in potholes, so it’s reassuring that, against the backdrop of the £16.3 billion backlog of local highway repairs reported in this year’s AIA Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey report, that both main political parties have grasped that longer-term funding horizons are integral to the effective asset management of the local road network.
‘More detail is essential though, so we can have confidence that our roads will actually be in a better state in five years. From Labour we would like to know if the full commitments on Network North funding for local road maintenance will be honoured going forward as well as how its pledge to repair or prevent an additional one million potholes will be rolled out. And from both Conservatives and Labour, it would be good to know what level of accountability there will be to ensure that the highway maintenance funds pledged are allocated via an effective ‘ring fence’ to ensure improvements.
‘Last year we supported the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Better Roads report calling for central government to reinstate sustained and targeted local road maintenance funding. The report drew on ALARM findings and proposed that longer-term funding commitments from central government are needed along with direct budget allocation and full transparency to deliver sustained improvements.
‘We urge which ever Minister is responsible for the Department for Transport after 4 July to follow these recommendations. The focus needs to be on providing targeted and accountable funding over the long term to deliver sustained improvement in local road conditions. This will enhance network resilience, save money over time, and ensure local roads are able to support the challenges ahead associated with decarbonization.’
