Roads: Suffolk
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the highways maintenance block funding allocation was for Suffolk County Council in (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24, (c) 2024-25 and (d) 2025-26; and what proportion of each year's allocation was ringfenced for pothole repair.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
The Department’s total annual highways maintenance funding allocation to Suffolk County Council between 2022-23 and 2025-26 is show in the table below:
2022 to 2023 (£m) | 2023 to 2024 (£m) | 2024 to 2025 (£m) | 2025 to 2026 (£m) |
27.2 | 35.5 | 30.7 | 43.8 |
The funding is paid out as a grant under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003, and is unringfenced. It is up to each authority to decide how best to spend it to fulfil its statutory duty under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980.
To ensure this investment translates into real improvements for road users, the department has introduced a strengthened regime of transparency reporting, annually updated ratings, and incentive funding, which was first implemented in 2025 to 2026. Local highway authorities must meet four requirements to unlock their full incentive funding in 2026-27, including spending at least the value of their allocated DfT highways maintenance funding on highways maintenance.
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