Road Maintenance Funding

12. What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of funding for road maintenance.

Proper investment in maintaining our roads saves drivers shelling out hundreds of pounds for pothole-related repairs and makes journeys safer and smoother for millions of people every day. That is why we are investing a record £7.3 billion over the next four years to help councils maintain roads, and it is why we have introduced a transparency system to ensure that local people can see that their councils spend this money effectively.

The funding given to local authorities is woefully inadequate to maintain the roads, let alone improve them. While Department for Transport funding remains well below historical levels in real terms, local authorities such as Wokingham have also had their funding dramatically cut by the Government. How do the Government expect local authorities like Wokingham to deliver on the objectives of the new road safety strategy?

It is sadly a fact that we have seen a decade of under-investment in our road network. This Government are putting record money into local councils —£1.6 billion this year, which is £500 million more than the year before—and we will be doubling the amount of money spent on local road maintenance over the course of this Parliament. The hon. Member raises an important point about the importance of road surface and highways maintenance to road safety, and that is why we are putting our money where our mouth is.

Despite an additional £6.7 million being provided to Reform-led Warwickshire county council, the condition of roads across North Warwickshire remains an absolute disgrace. Potholes are the No. 1 concern for many drivers in my constituency. Our high streets, rural roads and main roads are littered with potholes. Does the Minister agree that Warwickshire county council must do more with this funding and take urgent action to fix our roads before many more women are left alone, waiting for recovery on rural roads late at night?

I see that Reform Members care so much about the state of our roads that they cannot even be bothered to turn up to Transport questions.

Just to put the record straight before I get a load of emails, Andrew Rosindell, who is a Reform Member, was here and did ask a question.

Forgive me, Mr Speaker—they change so much at the moment that I have lost track.

The facts speak for themselves when it comes to Reform. Of the 13 local authorities that were rated red last month for their action on fixing local roads, three were Reform-led councils. That is a quarter of all councils that are run by Reform failing to get the basics right. By contrast, Labour councils came out top.