Information on what funding we get from the Department of Transport and how we spend it.

Some of the UK's highways are now becoming more expensive to maintain, with some parts needing to be replaced. Some highways have deteriorated faster because of under-investment or severe weather events.

95 percent of people use our roads every day, so it's important we maintain and improve it. The government allocates funding for upgrades and renewals of local road infrastructure.

2018/19 Local Highways Maintenance Funding

Bristol was awarded £1.725m by the Department of Transport in January 2019.

To see how what projects this funding was spent on see our pdf Department of Transport 2018/2019 funding evidence sheet (1.26 MB) .

Local Highways Maintenance Funding, Needs Element

This funding is allocated to each local highway authority in England in 2017/18, according to data each authority provides about the roads and infrastructure they look after.

2017/18 Bristol allocation: £3.46 million

National Productivity Investment Fund

This is funding for local highway and other local transport improvements. It aims to:

  • reduce congestion at important locations
  • upgrade or improve maintenance of local highway assets across England, outside London
  • improve access to employment and housing
  • develop economic and job creation opportunities

You can see where we're spending this funding.

You can read about pdf how we're spending this funding (66 KB) .

2017/18 Bristol allocation: £1.1 million

Pothole Action Fund

The Pothole Action Fund is £250 million. This is enough to repair over 4.7 million potholes or stop them forming in the first place.

This funding is allocated between 2016/7 and 2021 by the maintenance funding needs element formula. The formula is shared by local highway authorities in England, outside London. It looks at the number and condition of our roads and infrastructure, and works out how much funding we need.

2017/18 Bristol allocation: £257,000

Local Highways Maintenance Incentive/Efficiency Element Funding

This funding helps local authorities to:

  • follow an asset management approach, a systematic process of deploying, operating, maintaining, upgrading, and disposing of assets cost-effectively
  • adopt efficiency and best practice principles for local highway maintenance

The funding is a way for authorities to get additional funding over the Needs Based Formula.

 2017/18 Bristol allocation: £194,000

Local Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund

The Local Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund was first announced in the 2014 Autumn Statement. Tranche 1 was launched following a competition in 2015. More schemes were added in the summer of 2015. 34 schemes got funding.

The first element of Tranche 2 will cost £75 million and will be funded in 2017/18. The Challenge Fund will ensure we have well maintained local highway infrastructure.

The Fund helps local highway authorities in England to bid for major maintenance projects that are difficult to fund through the formula needs element allocation.