England's councils are spending more on their roads than they have in years, and the government wants proof the money is working. On October 21, the Department for Transport (DfT) published new figures showing record local road maintenance and released a further £220 million to councils that met performance targets.
The numbers
According to the DfT, councils across England are spending £4.9 billion on road maintenance this year, £800 million more than two years ago. Nearly 7,000 miles of road are being resurfaced in 2026, up 10% on last year.
The new £220 million is incentive funding. It's part of the government's £7.3 billion, four-year settlement for local road maintenance, and a portion of each year's money is held back until councils show they're following best practice. At least a quarter of the incentive pot depends on councils publishing transparency reports on their roads, and the DfT says further payments later in the year can be withheld from councils that miss their targets.
The government says better roads could save the average driver up to nearly £600 in repair bills.
Prevention is part of the scorecard
One figure stands out. The DfT says 94% of councils will carry out preventative roadworks this year, up from 76% last year. That means sealing and treating roads before potholes form, "stopping the same part of road being patched over and over again."
That's a useful way to think about value for money. A pothole that's repaired once and stays repaired costs far less than one that crews return to every few weeks.
What councils can do with the extra money
Funding tied to results puts a spotlight on how long repairs last. A few practical steps help:
- Fix it right the first time. Repeat visits eat into budgets and make performance reports look worse.
- Pair prevention with fast reactive repair. Even the best preventative programme won't stop every winter pothole.
- Use materials that perform in real conditions. British winters mean wet holes and fluctuating temperatures.
Where Ambient® fits
EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt is engineered for first-time fixes. It can be placed in wet holes and holes holding water, bonds to asphalt and concrete, and opens to traffic as soon as it's compacted. There's no mixing and no tack coat, and because it can be stockpiled for months, highways teams can keep it on hand for a fast response all winter. It's thermally resilient, so the repair holds through freeze-thaw cycles instead of becoming next month's defect.
England's funding model is clear: councils that show results get more money. Enduring repairs are one of the most direct ways to show results. Learn more at ezstreetasphalt.com.
Source notes: GOV.UK, Department for Transport (October 21, 2026); GOV.UK, Highways maintenance block allocations 2026 to 2030 (October 22, 2026).
