Swindon Council Urges Greater Road Funding Ahead of Upcoming Budget

Swindon Borough Council (SBC) has appealed for increased financial support to enhance local road infrastructure, preceding Labour’s first Budget in 15 years. Councillor Chris Watts, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, stated that 83% of the Swindon Borough Council (SBC) budget is allocated to Adult and Children’s services, resulting in “a very small pot” of funds available for roads and other essential services. Despite the identified need, Mr. Watts indicated that he did not anticipate Chancellor Rachel Reeves would declare additional funding for local authorities during her address on Wednesday. The Department for Transport (DfT) had previously affirmed in July its “absolutely committed” stance on addressing the deteriorated condition of the nation’s roads. Ahead of Wednesday’s Budget, Mr. Watts cited a roadworks backlog amounting to £142 million and an annual highways budget of £5 million. The existing financial deficit has compelled SBC to prioritize the repair of potholes that present an insurance liability, a situation Mr. Watts described as a “game of risk management”. Mr. Watts said: “We’re hoping those general settlements that have been whittled down by central government over the past 10-years will start moving in a different direction to give us more funding moving forward.” He also mentioned that the council was “trying to keep the roads going” pending an improvement in funding. Mr. Watts expressed the view that an increase in funding for councils in the current Budget was improbable, attributing this to it being “too early in Parliament” for the Labour party to make such a commitment. However, he noted that the “mood music” suggested a positive outlook for future announcements regarding funding and three-year settlements for local authorities in 2025. While 3,882 potholes were repaired between April and September, he cautioned that until funding improves, drivers in Swindon would continue to encounter “bumpy” yet operational “roads”. Approximately 70% of the potholes repaired by SBC were identified by its team of five Highways Inspectors, who annually inspect at least 522 miles (840km) of Swindon’s roads, 646 miles (1,039km) of paths/pavements, and 76 miles (122km) of cycle paths. Marcia Belcher, a member of this team, emphasized their significant reliance on the public for reporting precise information. Ms. Belcher stated: “I pay my taxes same as all my colleagues, we’d all like to see lovely smooth roads but in the present day we can only do what we can do, as long as people report it (potholes) we’ll get it repaired”. A spokesperson commented: “We’ve pledged to support local authorities to fix up to one million more potholes in England a year.”