Councils receive second instalment of £2.5 billion Potholes Fund

23 February 2021

The Department for Transport (DfT) has released the second £500million instalment of its £2.5billion ‘Potholes Fund’ to local councils in England. We at Marshall Minibus are pleased to keep you up to date with the latest motoring news.

Given that the estimated cost of filling a pothole is around £50, this instalment could allow councils to fill 10 million potholes across the UK – a much needed improvement, as the RAC recently reported the percentage of pothole-related breakdowns in the third quarter of 2020 as its ‘highest third-quarter percentage of all RAC breakdowns seen since 2015’, despite reduced traffic levels in lockdown.

As announced by the Chancellor in the 2020 Budget, £500million will be provided to local councils each year between 2020/21 and 2024/25 to fill potholes.

The funds will be allocated as follows:

East Midlands: £57,358,000
East of England: £68,534,000
North East: £28,492,000
North West: £66,467,000
South East: £82,693,000
South West: £90,031,000
West Midlands: £54,486,000
Yorkshire and The Humber: £51,940,000

Transport minister Baroness Vere said: “We know potholes are more than just a nuisance – they can be dangerous to drivers and cyclists alike, and cause damage to thousands of vehicles every year.

“The funding allocated today will help councils ensure roads in their area are kept up to standard, and that the potholes that blight road users can be dealt with promptly.”

The Pothole Fund is the second of its kind, with the DfT allocating £296million for a Pothole Action Fund in 2015/16 to 2020/21.