Written questions by Spencer.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the local highways maintenance funding formula for rural road networks.

The Department has not made an assessment of the average cost of maintaining a mile of road in rural or urban local authorities. Every area faces its own unique challenges. That is why highways maintenance funding is based on established national datasets like road lengths, to help make the system as fair as possible across the country.The government plans to review the funding formula that it uses to distribute capital funding to local highways authorities to see whether it can be adjusted to consider, for example, the conditions that affect the wear and tear of local roads. However, the government cannot commit to any changes to the allocation methodology until each option has been assessed for feasibility and deliverability, in line with the normal policy making process. The government would also expect to engage with local highway authorities about any methodology to understand how any changes might impact on their services.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of pothole a) reports and b) repairs per capita in i) urban and ii) rural local authorities in the last 12 months.

The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of pothole reports made to local authorities. Under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, local highway authorities are responsible for the condition of their local road networks, including responding to reports of defects such as potholes. Data on the number of potholes repaired by each local highway authority during the last five years is published in authorities’ highways maintenance transparency reports, which set out how they are maintaining their network. The Department does not use this data to produce an assessment of pothole repairs per capita, or per mile of road split by rural and urban authorities.

How many potholes were reported per mile of road in (a) rural and (b) urban local authorities in England in the last three years.

The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of pothole reports made to local authorities. Under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, local highway authorities are responsible for the condition of their local road networks, including responding to reports of defects such as potholes. Data on the number of potholes repaired by each local highway authority during the last five years is published in authorities’ highways maintenance transparency reports, which set out how they are maintaining their network. The Department does not use this data to produce an assessment of pothole repairs per capita, or per mile of road split by rural and urban authorities.

What estimate her Department has made of the average cost of maintaining a mile of road in (a) rural and (b) urban local authorities.

The Department has not made an assessment of the average cost of maintaining a mile of road in rural or urban local authorities. Every area faces its own unique challenges. That is why highways maintenance funding is based on established national datasets like road lengths, to help make the system as fair as possible across the country.The government plans to review the funding formula that it uses to distribute capital funding to local highways authorities to see whether it can be adjusted to consider, for example, the conditions that affect the wear and tear of local roads. However, the government cannot commit to any changes to the allocation methodology until each option has been assessed for feasibility and deliverability, in line with the normal policy making process. The government would also expect to engage with local highway authorities about any methodology to understand how any changes might impact on their services.

What proportion of local highways maintenance funding allocated by her Department has been received by predominantly rural local authorities in each of the last three years.

A full explanation of how highways maintenance funding is allocated is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations. Local highway authorities can choose to spend Highways Maintenance Block funding on all parts of their highway network. Funding is not specifically for potholes. Rural-urban classification at the level of local highway authorities is published by the Office for National Statistics and can be found online at https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/datasets/ons::rural-urban-classification-2021-of-upper-tier-local-authorities-2023-in-ew/about. Local highway authorities are usually large geographies, most of which include a mix of both rural and urban areas, so the rural-urban classification at this level can only give a broad indication of the overall classification of an area.

What the average pothole funding per mile of road is in each local authority.

A full explanation of how highways maintenance funding is allocated is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations. Local highway authorities can choose to spend Highways Maintenance Block funding on all parts of their highway network. Funding is not specifically for potholes. Rural-urban classification at the level of local highway authorities is published by the Office for National Statistics and can be found online at https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/datasets/ons::rural-urban-classification-2021-of-upper-tier-local-authorities-2023-in-ew/about. Local highway authorities are usually large geographies, most of which include a mix of both rural and urban areas, so the rural-urban classification at this level can only give a broad indication of the overall classification of an area.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of funding the construction of a Northern Bypass around Ipswich.

The Ipswich Northern Bypass was a scheme developed by Suffolk County Council, who are the Local Transport Authority for this region. A decision was taken locally by Suffolk County Council to withdraw the scheme back in 2020. Suffolk County Council did not engage with the Department on the scheme and did not submit a Strategic Outline Business Case before withdrawing it. As a result, the Department has never been in a position to assess the proposal.The department would go through the relevant assessment process if this or other schemes were put forward and if funding became available in the future.

What discussions she has had with Suffolk County Council regarding the construction of a Northern Bypass around Ipswich.

The Ipswich Northern Bypass was a scheme developed by Suffolk County Council, who are the Local Transport Authority for this region. A decision was taken locally by Suffolk County Council to withdraw the scheme back in 2020. Suffolk County Council did not engage with the Department on the scheme and never submitted a Strategic Outline Business Case to progress the scheme.The department would go through the relevant assessment process if this or other schemes were put forward and if funding became available in the future.