Research and analysis

Highways asset management: funding and data collection survey

Findings from a study into how local authorities administer the Potholes Fund and what highways and asset maintenance data they are collecting.

• From: Department for Transport
• Published: 26 September 2024

Applies to England

Documents

Highways asset management: funding and data collection survey

PDF, 476 KB, 51 pages

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Details

This report summarises research carried out in 2021 with 15 local authorities about how they administer and deliver the Potholes Fund.

The study also gathered information about the road maintenance data that local authorities hold and considered where there was potential for more consistent data collection.

The report’s main findings were that:  

• local authorities view the Potholes Fund as a reallocation of, or replacement for, reduced capital and revenue funding overall
• with regard to the allocation of funding, most local authorities accept that they are working within constrained budgets
• the focus of funding on reactive repairs and major works has led to concerns about a squeeze on ‘regular’ maintenance
• the Department for Transport (DfT) is viewed as an important agent in improving the overall quality and comparability of highways data
• data submitted to DfT is not currently seen as particularly difficult to collect – many local authorities expressed willingness to provide additional data

This research was commissioned by DfT and conducted by Ipsos MORI.

Published 26 September 2024