MP Calls for Funding Reform Over Costly Peat-Affected Roads

A Cambridgeshire MP is urging the Government to rethink how road repairs are funded, arguing that current formulas fail to reflect the high cost of maintaining roads built on peat soil.

Ian Sollom, Liberal Democrat MP for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, has written to Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood highlighting what he describes as the “magnitude” of the problem in the county. He previously raised the issue in the House of Commons with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.

Sollom says around 40% of Cambridgeshire’s roads sit on peaty fenland, making them particularly vulnerable to cracking and subsidence caused by heavy traffic and extreme weather. Repairs on such roads can cost up to four times more than standard carriageways and often last for a shorter period.

“The peat roads are very distorting for the county’s road budgets,” he said. “They cost more to repair, and when the county council spends money on them, it is sucking funds away from other roads. It puts the council in a very difficult position.”

He argues that the Government’s Highways Maintenance Block funding formula is based largely on factors such as road length, bridges and lighting, but does not account for underlying geology or the true cost of repairs.

Cambridgeshire recorded more than 22 potholes per mile in 2024 — the highest rate in England and Wales — and faces an estimated £800M maintenance backlog. While the Department for Transport has allocated £188M to the county over the next four years, Sollom says this is insufficient to address the scale of reconstruction needed.

He is calling for discussions with ministers on potential reforms, including additional funding for peat-affected areas, a revised allocation formula reflecting geological challenges, or pilot schemes to trial alternative maintenance approaches.

Sollom said the issue should transcend party politics and has invited other Cambridgeshire MPs — and representatives from areas facing similar geological challenges — to join efforts to press for change.