This week, newly released data analysis has highlighted a sharp decline in Birmingham’s performance on local council highway maintenance. Analysis by the Local Conservatives, released today on National Pothole Day, 15th January, shows the damning collapse of pothole repairs in Birmingham.
Recent data reveals Birmingham ranks in the bottom ten councils for preventative treatments, with nearly two-thirds of spending directed towards reactive repairs. Only one-fifth of roads are slated for preventative treatment in 2025/26 – assuming plans are even met – making Birmingham the joint lowest performer among all councils. In 2024/25, just £4.4 million of the £50 million DfT allocation was spent on road maintenance, equating to a mere 8.8%. Shockingly, only 2km of pavements received preventative treatment, with none on any of the A, B, or C roads.
The consequences are stark: pothole repairs fell by more than 50% in 2024/25, from 9,332 in 2023/24 to 4,514. Between 2020 and 2024, the percentage of A-roads in ‘poor’ condition – requiring repair within the next 12 months – doubled from 3% to 6%, while B and C roads tripled from 2% to 6%. The proportion of roads in good condition declined from 77% to 68% for A roads and from 80% to 69% for B and C roads. Skid resistance has also worsened dramatically, with principal roads at or below investigatory levels rising from 14% to 41%, and non-principal roads from 14% to 56%.
Birmingham Local Conservatives have condemned the Labour Administration’s handling of vital road maintenance funding, highlighting a dramatic decline in the city’s highways performance despite substantial resources available. Under Labour, Birmingham, despite being the best-funded highways authority in the country, is one of the worst performers, with proactive investments neglected in favour of costly reactive repairs.
In 2010, a landmark deal secured by then-Cabinet Member Cllr Timothy Huxtable ensured Birmingham received £50 million annually from the Department for Transport (DfT) for proactive road investments, positioning the city as a national leader in highways funding. However, Labour’s stewardship since 2012 has seen this advantage squandered, resulting in deteriorating road conditions whilst £200 million in Private Finance Initiative (PFI) reserves sit unspent in the bank, unable to be allocated elsewhere.
Cllr Huxtable (Con, Hall Green South), now Shadow Cabinet Member for Environment & Transport, said:
It’s heartbreaking to see the legacy of the 2010 record funding deal, which I helped secure to, undone by Labour’s failure. We’ve gone from leading the pack with proactive investments to languishing at the bottom, forcing drivers to endure pothole-ridden streets while millions gather dust in reserves. This isn’t just poor management, it’s a betrayal of Birmingham’s residents who deserve safe, well-maintained roads.
Cllr Robert Alden (Con, Erdington), Leader of the Opposition and Birmingham Local Conservatives, added:
Labour’s cut to preventative works means they’re pouring money into expensive, band-aid fixes instead of sustainable solutions, and not even doing that well. The stats speak for themselves: deteriorating roads, fewer repairs, and a backlog that’s only growing. If elected in May, Conservatives will release portions of the £200 million ringfenced Highways funding to ramp up proactive investments, preventing costly reactive spend and cleaning up Birmingham’s highways to get them back to top condition.
Birmingham Local Conservatives pledge that, upon taking control post-May elections, they will unlock these held-back funds to deliver immediate proactive works, ensuring long-term efficiency and safety for the city’s roads. This forms part of a broader commitment to efficient governance, contrasting with Labour’s wasteful approach.
Notes for the Editor
