The Select Committee recommended in July that the Department should propose a ‘front loaded, long term funding settlement’ to the Treasury so councils can address road maintenance backlogs and better plan future activities.

In its response, published this week, the DfT agreed that long term, consistent funding certainty for local highways maintenance is important to ensure authorities can make effective decisions and seek efficiencies through the supply chain.

“The Department for Transport is currently working on developing a good evidence base to ensure it submits a strong business case to HM Treasury as part of a future Spending Review,” it said.

Transport Select Committee chair Lilian Greenwood commented: “This is an issue that affects everyone – pedestrians, cyclists and drivers – every day.

“The new DfT ministerial team’s willingness to engage with the work and recommendations of the Committee is refreshing. We’ll continue to press to ensure the Government commits to proper funding to make sure roads are safe for all.”

Campaign for Better Transport chief executive Darren Shirley said: “The Government indicating that it supports a longer term funding settlement for local road maintenance is very welcome. The poor condition of many local roads is a key concern for drivers, bus passengers, cyclists and pedestrians alike.”

The Local Government Association’s transport spokesman Darren Rodwell added: “Providing councils with a five year funding allocation would mean they can invest in road maintenance and other infrastructure projects.”

The Asphalt Industry Alliance called for “those in control of the purse strings” to heed the calls for a significant long term settlement. Its chair Rick Green said: “We believe that an extra £1Bn each year for 10 years (England only) is needed to bring road conditions up to a level from which they can be maintained cost effectively going forward.”

Another Transport Select Committee recommendation was for Government to commission an independent review of highway responsibilities, to evaluate whether current responsibilities sit at the right level.

In its response the DfT welcomed CIHT’s plans to shortly publish its review ‘Improving Local Highways’. “The Government believes this may help address the concerns of the Committee and following the conclusion of the report, we will consider how to respond to the CIHT report and whether there is a need for a further independent review,” it said.

A CIHT spokesman commented: “We are pleased that Government has acknowledged the benefits of reaching a longer term funding settlement and the role that collaboration and best practice should play in identifying the funding levels.”

“The scope for our Improving Local Highways review will not go into detail around changes to the governance structure that currently exists to deliver local roads, as we believe this is an area that must be led by Government. The main areas of focus for this review has been how the network can deliver what local communities and the economy need.”

(Photograph: Alastair Lloyd)