Local councils across the East of England, including Bedford Borough Council, are being told to prove they’re taking action on potholes if they want to receive their full share of a new £65 million highways funding boost from the Government.
From mid-April, councils will begin receiving money from a £1.6 billion national highways fund, but they’ll need to publish annual progress reports by 30 June 2025 to unlock the full amount.
Failure to do so could result in a 25% reduction in funding – a potential £16 million shortfall for the region.
The move forms part of the Government’s wider Plan for Change, which aims to improve local infrastructure and reduce costly repairs caused by deteriorating roads. According to the RAC, UK drivers hit around six potholes per mile on average, and repairs can cost hundreds.
In addition to the pothole pledge, £4.8 billion has been allocated for National Highways to improve and maintain major roads in 2025/26, including upgrades to the A47 Thickthorn Junction and the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the plan will deliver “vital road schemes” and ensure local authorities “prove they’re delivering for their communities.”
He added, “British people are bored of seeing their politicians aimlessly pointing at potholes with no real plan to fix them. That ends with us.
“We’ve done our part and handed councils the cash and certainty they need – now it’s up to them to get on with the job, put that money to use and prove they’re delivering for their communities.”
Bedford’s “dirt tracks”
A 2023 Department for Transport report ranked Bedford Borough as having some of the best-maintained roads, fifth overall in England, with 86% of local roads in good condition.
However, that conclusion didn’t reflect the reality for many local people who said the condition of Bedford’s roads was far from ideal.
Read: “How bad must the other roads be?” report says Bedford has some of the best roads in the country
A follow-up by the Bedford Independent revealed that the data, while technically accurate, didn’t align with the lived experiences of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, who frequently highlighted deteriorating surfaces and potholes.
The report sparked debate about how road quality is measured and whether the metrics used are fit for purpose.
It also comes as more Bedford drivers are turning to legal advice after sustaining damage to their vehicles caused by poor road surfaces.
With repair bills mounting and compensation claims rising, a local law firm say they’re increasingly being asked whether drivers can take action.
Compensation
Writing in the Bedford Independent last December, local solicitor Darren Gill from Woodfines Solicitors confirmed that while drivers can claim compensation, there’s a high threshold for success.
Read: As pothole compensation claims rack up, will councils start paying?
“There’s a legal duty for councils to maintain roads, but they also have a defence if they can prove they carried out reasonable inspections,” he explained.
Councils must be able to show they’ve taken “all reasonable steps” to keep roads in good condition. If they haven’t, and if a pothole has been reported and left unrepaired, they could be liable for any resulting damage or injury.
Even so, the process is far from straightforward. Successful claims often require photos, repair invoices, and details of when and where the damage occurred – and even then, many are turned down.
As such, the pressure is mounting not just on councils to spend the money wisely, but also to communicate clearly with tax payers about how they’re tackling issues, responding to complaints and preventing future damage.
Bedford Borough Council, like others in the East of England, will now need to meet the same transparency requirements. This includes showing how pothole issues are being tackled, how communities are being consulted, and what’s being done to prepare for wetter winters.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander added, “The public deserves to know how their councils are improving their roads. This is about results, not promises.”
A spokesperson for Bedford Borough Council told the Bedford Independent: “Managing the Council’s highway network is a critical challenge that requires careful consideration of the need to balance the management of an ageing network and high public expectations, with reducing resources, less available funding, and an increased pressure on local government services.”
They said the council has recently adopted a Highway Infrastructure “Asset Management” (HIAM) approach.
“This includes a suite of policies, procedures and plans that set out what assets the Council has, what condition they are in and what the Council are likely to need in the future.
“Highway infrastructure assets include carriageways, footways and cycleways, highway structures (such as bridges), street lighting, street furniture (such as traffic signs) and highway land, and this also includes “potholes”.
“The Council’s current maintenance activities fall broadly into two camps; revenue-funded works to repair emerging defects by, for example, filling potholes; and capital works to renew assets and ensure their longevity.
“The adoption of this HIAM plan will ensure that there is a proper balance between these two approaches, ensuring that the right work is undertaken in the right place at the right time to maximise the continuing value of the Council’s assets.
“The council will be providing the required response to secure the best funding for the Council roads.”
Further information about potholes in Bedford Borough, and how to report them, can be found at www.bedford.gov.uk/potholes
Update: This column was updated at 16:46 on 24 March 2025 to include a comment from a spokesperson from Bedford Borough Council.
