Budget 2024: Huge £500million increase to repair potholes throughout UK introduced

Hundreds of millions of pounds has been announced in the Budget to fixing potholes.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has committed to £500million to road maintenance budgets to fix potholes. She said: “For too long, potholes have been an all too visible reminder of our failure to invest as a nation. “Today, that changes, with a £500 million increase in road maintenance budgets next year, more than delivering on our manifesto commitment to fix an additional one million potholes per year.”

It is a major boost to motorists who are forking out huge amounts of cash on fixing their cars due to damage from potholes. Pothole damage cost drivers almost £500 million last year, with the average damage worth £250, Labour has said.

Car insurance costs have also spiralled out of control, increasing by more than £200 on average in just two years. This has been driven by damage from pothole-ridden roads, soaring inflation and rising car thefts. RAC roadside patrols attended nearly 30,000 pothole-related breakdowns last year, up a third on 2022. Labour claims there are now 100 times more potholes on our roads than craters on the moon.

Potholes can also have deadly consequences. Reports suggest 118 cyclists were seriously injured due to rotten road surfaces between 2017 and 2021, with six tragically killed.

Labour made fixing potholes a focus point of the election, with its manifesto commitment to fix one million of them. During the campaign, Keir Starmer and Louise Haigh, who is now the Transport Secretary, set out Labour’s plans for drivers at a training centre for mechanics in Grimsby. The pair were shown the damage done to cars from unsafe roads as they pledged to fix up to one million potholes every year as well as crack down on soaring car insurance costs.

At the time, Ms Haigh said: “Cars are a lifeline for millions up and down the country. They get people to work, allow parents to get kids to school and help carers support relatives – but drivers have been totally failed by this Conservative government.

“The Conservatives have left Britain’s roads plagued with potholes and have sat back as car insurance costs have spiralled out of control. Labour is the only party truly on the side of drivers.”

Mr Starmer added: “We can’t have a situation where it’s harder for people to drive because there are potholes in the road or insurance is too high. So I want to make it easier for people to use their cars on roads that are safe, don’t cost them a fortune in potholes and not have to pay over the top insurance premiums.”