Department for Transport additional funding
Money allocated to our county's roads.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has introduced a new incentive element for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to promote best practice in sustainable highways asset management. We have been allocated an extra £8,975,000 for 2025/26. However, 25% of this will be withheld until local authorities can demonstrate compliance with specific criteria set by the DfT.
This incentive process is designed to encourage continuous improvement in highways maintenance. It follows recommendations from the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee, highlighting the need for better understanding and transparency around the condition of local roads. The DfT expects local authorities to show that the additional funding is being used to increase overall maintenance expenditure and to strike a balance between long-term preventative maintenance and reactive repairs.
The first step in unlocking the full funding is to submit a report outlining key information, including the authority’s approach to asset management, estimated outputs (e.g. miles of resurfacing, number of potholes filled), and alignment with sustainability goals.
The reporting requirements and further guidance are in our highways maintenance transparency report.
Capital funding
Below is a table showing the splits in capital funding sources for highway works over the past 5 years.
| Year | DfT funding | Total Capital | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | £24,563,000 | £33,783,000 | £20,879,200 |
| 2022/23 | £14,300,000 | £30,200,000 | £23,589,300 |
| 2021/22 | £25,358,000 | £42,773,000 | £19,892,000 |
| 2020/21 | £31,000,000 | £46,300,000 | £22,472,000 |
| 2019/20 | £34,029,000 | £34,029,000 | £19,375,700 |
