Gloucestershire highways chief warns of £15m annual shortfall in road maintenance funding

Gloucestershire’s cabinet member for highways has warned that the county faces a significant funding challenge as rising maintenance demands continue to outpace available budgets.

Councillor Mark Harris says the county's road network is being impacted by what he described as a growing "black hole" in highways funding, with officials estimating a substantial gap between what is needed to maintain infrastructure and the money currently available.

According to Gloucestershire County Council, around £52 million a year is required to maintain roads, bridges, pavements, drainage systems, street lighting and traffic signals to the standard residents expect. Current government funding, however, amounts to approximately £36.5 million annually, leaving a funding gap of around £15.5 million every year.

The warning comes amid ongoing concerns about potholes and the deteriorating condition of local roads, with councils across England facing similar challenges as maintenance costs continue to rise.

Councillor Harris said:

“If you think the potholes are big, you should see the black hole in road funding.”

While public attention often focuses on pothole repairs, Harris stressed that highways budgets must also cover a wide range of essential infrastructure assets across the county.

“The bit people don’t always see is the work happening every day.

“Teams are out fixing the most urgent problems, stretching every pound, and finding new ways of working to stop roads getting worse.”

The council says highways teams continue to prioritise safety-critical repairs and urgent maintenance, but acknowledges that limited funding makes it increasingly difficult to keep pace with the scale of deterioration across the network.

To help address the issue, Gloucestershire County Council has committed an additional £15 million over the next three years through savings and efficiencies identified elsewhere within the authority. However, officials have acknowledged that the extra funding will not fully eliminate the long-term shortfall.

The situation has prompted renewed questions about whether national funding allocations are keeping pace with the growing maintenance backlog facing local authorities.

Despite the financial pressures, Harris said the council remains focused on maximising value from every pound spent.

“So yes, we’ve got a funding gap.

“But we’re working hard, innovating, and making every pound count.”

The council is also encouraging residents to continue reporting potholes and other defects through the FixMyStreet platform, helping maintenance teams identify and prioritise issues across the county.

“We’re doing everything we can with what we’ve got, and public reports really help us target the areas that need attention most,” Harris added.

With maintenance backlogs increasing across much of the country, Gloucestershire’s warning highlights the wider challenge facing local authorities as they seek to balance limited budgets against growing demands on ageing transport infrastructure.