A new report has been published by Swindon Borough Council setting out the current condition of roads across the Borough, which can be found on the Council’s website.  Cllr Chris Watts is the Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, and gives further context to the report below.

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In April, I presented the 3-year Local Transport Plan (LTP) to Cabinet. The full document is available under Agenda Item 10 of the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, 19th March 2025 at 6:00 p.m.

Agenda for Cabinet on Wednesday, 19th March, 2025, 6.00 p.m.

The LTP outlines the roads scheduled for works over the next three years. These priorities are determined based on need, with proposals made by highways officers and inspectors.

To be candid, I believe all of the roads listed in the LTP should have already been resurfaced. Additionally, there are roads not included in the current plan that are equally overdue for attention. The scale of the issue is significant—reflecting a national challenge. The Local Government Association (LGA) estimates a staggering £17 billion road repair backlog across England and Wales, and Swindon is certainly not exempt. Based on these figures, our local backlog is estimated at over £50 million to return roads to a sustainable standard.

We are emerging from a 13-year period of managed decline, and we’ve reached a tipping point. Our primary focus now must be on keeping roads open and traffic moving using whatever practical tools and methods are available—even if these are not ideal, they must remain functional.

Historically, Swindon Borough Council’s annual highways maintenance budget has been around £4.2 million. This year, we received an additional £1.5 million from central government for 2025/26, which is a welcome uplift. While this doesn’t eliminate our funding gap, it is a positive shift from the decline of previous years. Encouragingly, there is clear recognition from Government of the scale and seriousness of the infrastructure challenge we face.

In the past year alone, the Council has repaired around 10,000 potholes. This reflects the tireless efforts of a small team working in all conditions to maintain safe travel. However, it also starkly illustrates the position we inherited regarding the poor state of our road network and the limited funding that has historically been available. The additional resources have enabled us to trial new repair methods that improve durability, but the long-term solution remains proper resurfacing and reconstruction.

I’ve discussed these issues extensively with local MPs and recently met with Lilian Greenwood MP, Minister for the Future of Roads. We discussed the £500 million national uplift and the growing pressure on roads from increased traffic, increased winters rainfall, and heavier vehicles (such as EVs). Interestingly, the Department for Transport has acknowledged that it currently lacks historic comprehensive data on the true extent of the problem—reflecting years of underreporting and limited analysis as budgets declined.

As part of a national directive, all councils are now required to publish a short, plain-English report setting out the condition of local highways, how additional funding will be used, what percentage of roads require repair compared to last year, and what measures are being taken to address climate impacts. This report must be made publicly available, and 25% of the new funding is conditional upon its completion. The Government is also encouraging councils to adopt best practices and greater transparency.

The LGA has further stated that even if the full £17 billion were made available immediately, it would take a decade to complete the necessary work—largely due to the loss of industry capacity and expertise over the last 13 years. Here in Swindon, we too must rebuild our highways team, though recruitment remains challenging. It’s easy to cut services; rebuilding them is far more difficult and costly, especially in the current fiscal environment.

As we navigate these difficulties, we continue to look for solutions. We’re trialling a new, more flexible and long-lasting tarmac mix, and have switched to more durable road markings. If these prove successful, they could help mitigate future costs and extend the lifespan of our repairs.

We remain hopeful that the Government will continue to increase funding in the years ahead. At present, highways grants are allocated annually, which limits our ability to plan strategically. A shift to a 3-year funding model would significantly improve planning and delivery.

There is additional context here: What can be done to resolve the UK’s local road crisis? | New Civil Engineer