Conservatives pledge £112.5m to fix Britain’s pothole backlog

LocalPolitics
1 Apr 2026 • 9:24 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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  • The Conservatives have proposed a £112.5 million plan to address the national pothole backlog, funded by cuts to government communications contracts.
  • Their strategy includes creating a single national platform for reporting potholes and providing specialist road-repair machines to local councils.
  • Kemi Badenoch stated the Conservatives prioritise road repair, accusing Labour of a 'war on drivers' and inaction regarding potholes.
  • Labour criticised the Conservative proposal as 'gimmicks', attributing the current pothole crisis to 14 years of Tory neglect.
  • Labour highlighted their own 'biggest ever investment' of £7.3 billion in road maintenance, which includes a new traffic light rating system for councils, with £2.1 billion contingent on council plans.