Councils in the West of England are about to get a lot more money to fix their roads. The question now is how far it will go.
On October 14, the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority announced the Mayor's Potholes & Pavements Fund, a new initiative through which about £215 million is due to be invested in repairing roads, pavements and bridges over the coming years. The authority says that's roughly £40 million more than previous funding windows, an increase of over 20%, and calls it a record.
Where the money goes
The funding would be allocated directly to Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire councils. North Somerset, which is in the process of joining the combined authority, isn't part of this allocation, but work is under way on its future funding.
The fund sits inside a bigger transport picture. The region has secured a record £752 million through the Department for Transport's Transport for City Regions programme to invest from 2027 to 2032, and the Local Transport Delivery Plan setting out the details is due to go to the DfT at the end of October. The mayor and council leaders are due to note an update at their meeting on October 23.
Nationally, last year's Autumn Budget set out £7.3 billion over four years to help English councils repair more potholes.
Drivers, walkers and cyclists
Mayor Helen Godwin framed the fund around everyday costs. "Fixing more potholes across the West of England would help more motorists swerve annoying bills, which stack up to more than £300 on average for drivers, and make walking and cycling safer too," she said.
Council leaders from all four authorities added in a joint statement that "potholes and damaged pavements are among the most common concerns raised by residents," and that the investment would help "maintain roads and footways, improve safety, and support smoother journeys for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and public transport users alike."
The mention of pavements matters. A pothole is a nuisance in a car. For someone on a bike, or a parent pushing a buggy, a broken surface can be a real hazard. Funding that covers footways as well as carriageways reflects who actually uses the street.
Why drivers feel it in their wallets
For most motorists, a council fund is only good news if it stops the damage before it happens, because claiming afterwards is hard. A Confused.com Freedom of Information study published in March found UK councils paid out on just 19% of pothole damage claims in 2025, down from 29% in 2024. In the same research, 86% of drivers surveyed said they'd paid for pothole repairs out of their own pocket.
That's the real case for spending on roads up front. Every pothole fixed well, and early, is one less burst tyre or bent wheel.
Making £215 million go further
Big funding announcements can set off a rush of activity. The councils that get the most from them usually focus on a few things:
- First-time fixes. A repair that has to be redone in six months is paid for twice. The goal should be patches that endure.
- Prevention alongside patching. Resurfacing and crack sealing keep good roads from becoming bad ones.
- Footways and cycle routes. The people most at risk from a broken surface often aren't in cars.
- Speed on busy routes. On main roads and bus corridors, a repair that reopens fast limits disruption.
Material choice plays a quiet but important part in all of this. EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt is an engineered, ready-to-use asphalt that bonds to asphalt and concrete, works even in wet holes and is ready for traffic as soon as it's compacted. There's no mixing and no tack coat, and it can be stockpiled for months, so crews can carry it from job to job and keep tackling defects through a wet British winter instead of waiting for dry weather.
A test of delivery
The West of England has the money. Over the next few years, residents will judge the fund by a simpler measure: whether the roads and pavements they use every day feel better, and stay that way. Pairing record investment with performance-proven repairs like Ambient® is one way to make sure they do. Learn more at ezstreetasphalt.com.
Source notes: West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (Oct 14, 2026); Confused.com (Mar 12, 2026).
