Budget 2018: £420m announced to tackle potholes

Chancellor Philip Hammond has announced that Local councils in England will get an extra £420m to tackle potholes in the Autumn Budget.

This is on top of an existing fund of almost £300m.

However, it has been estimated that more than £8bn would be needed for a one-time fix of potholes in England by the Asphalt Industry Association.

£150 million will also be made available to improve local traffic hotspots such as roundabouts.

Hammond has also announced £25.3bn for Highways England for major road upgrades between 2020 and 2025, mainly funded by vehicle excise duty. 

RAC chief engineer Dave Bizley said: “The Government made a commitment three years ago to ring-fence all the money collected from vehicle tax from 2020/21 to maintain and improve our most important roads. 

“It is good to see the Chancellor delivering on this promise and it is clearly a big step in the right direction.”