Nottinghamshire Highways Review goes before committee as county examines how to maintain £10bn transport network

Nottinghamshire County Council’s Place Select Committee will examine the latest review of the county’s highways service on 8 December, focusing on how the authority plans to maintain and improve its £10 billion network of roads, footways, streetlights and drainage assets.

The Highways Review, produced by a Cabinet working group, revisits how the council prioritises road maintenance and service delivery across all seven districts. The network includes 96,000 streetlights, 369 highway bridges, over 45,000 trees and around 141,000 drainage assets, making it one of the council’s most complex and costly operations.

Currently, the council operates a capital maintenance programme of over £52 million a year, alongside a £20 million revenue budget for day-to-day repairs, inspections, streetlighting, drainage and general upkeep. While the review itself carries no new financial implications, councillors will consider these spending levels as part of wider discussions.

The 2025 review builds on work completed in 2021–22, which introduced improvements to patching, surface treatments, public reporting, and localised maintenance, alongside new machinery and the ‘Right First Time’ approach. The report highlights ongoing challenges, including aging infrastructure, increasing traffic, and the impact of heavier rainfall on drainage systems.

For residents, the review matters because it informs which areas receive resurfacing, patching, streetlight replacements or drainage upgrades. The council stresses the need for cost-effective maintenance to prevent more expensive reconstruction in the future.

The report notes no direct legal or Local Government Reorganisation implications, with the main purpose being scrutiny by the Select Committee. Members will have the opportunity to question officers and the Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment on the review’s findings and implications before recommendations return to Cabinet.

Nottinghamshire’s highways service touches every electoral division, making strategic planning and long-term investment crucial for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and public transport users across the county.