The catch-up problem
The two-part plan
Ring-fencing VED fixes the long-term settlement. It does not magically repair decades of neglected surfaces, drainage, signage, junctions and failed concrete roads. That needs a separate one-off recovery fund.
Backlog boost by authority
This model uses saved local road responsibility data to show how a £5bn and £10bn recovery fund could be allocated.
Worst-case borrowing illustration
£600,000,000
annual interest on £10,000,000,000 at 6.0%
A recovery fund should be tied to visible road renewal: resurfacing, reconstruction, drainage, road markings, safety-critical repairs and severe unadopted residential roads where appropriate.
| Authority | Local road length | Current roads budget | £5,000,000,000 recovery boost | £10,000,000,000 recovery boost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City Council | 652 miles | £23,801,000 | £13,609,837 | £27,219,675 |
| Aberdeenshire Council | 3,788 miles | £27,150,500 | £79,103,126 | £158,206,252 |
| Angus Council | 1,177 miles | £32,579,000 | £24,585,931 | £49,171,863 |
| Argyll and Bute Council | 1,493 miles | £35,893,000 | £31,163,803 | £62,327,607 |
| Barking and Dagenham | 214 miles | £6,662,000 | £4,476,067 | £8,952,133 |
| Barnet | 470 miles | £29,418,660 | £9,808,424 | £19,616,849 |
| Barnsley | 726 miles | £11,928,000 | £15,166,730 | £30,333,460 |
| Bath & North East Somerset | 670 miles | £17,043,697 | £13,986,087 | £27,972,173 |
| Bedford | 597 miles | £5,171,620 | £12,455,142 | £24,910,284 |
| Bexley | 344 miles | £6,400,000 | £7,174,681 | £14,349,362 |
| Birmingham | 1,597 miles | £106,000,000 | £33,343,453 | £66,686,906 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 331 miles | £12,450,000 | £6,902,225 | £13,804,449 |
| Blackpool | 278 miles | £6,600,000 | £5,812,400 | £11,624,799 |
| Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council | 254 miles | £13,024,430 | £5,306,409 | £10,612,819 |
| Bolton | 617 miles | £6,719,000 | £12,883,288 | £25,766,575 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 788 miles | £9,616,000 | £16,451,167 | £32,902,334 |
| Bracknell Forest | 298 miles | £9,320,000 | £6,214,597 | £12,429,194 |
| Bradford | 1,136 miles | £17,974,870 | £23,729,640 | £47,459,281 |
| Brent | 289 miles | £5,047,000 | £6,032,959 | £12,065,919 |
| Bridgend County Borough Council | 496 miles | £13,875,201 | £10,366,311 | £20,732,622 |
| Brighton and Hove | 377 miles | £7,493,000 | £7,862,308 | £15,724,617 |
| Bristol | 707 miles | £23,924,000 | £14,764,533 | £29,529,066 |
| Bromley | 569 miles | £5,000,000 | £11,884,281 | £23,768,563 |
| Buckinghamshire | 2,060 miles | £73,158,000 | £43,009,162 | £86,018,325 |
| Bury | 363 miles | £10,517,129 | £7,576,878 | £15,153,756 |
| Caerphilly County Borough Council | 632 miles | £17,871,361 | £13,194,666 | £26,389,332 |
| Calderdale | 710 miles | £7,730,000 | £14,816,429 | £29,632,859 |
| Cambridgeshire | 2,794 miles | £73,000,000 | £58,344,556 | £116,689,112 |
| Camden | 171 miles | £9,605,000 | £3,580,853 | £7,161,707 |
| Cardiff Council | 680 miles | £73,220,408 | £14,206,646 | £28,413,293 |
| Carmarthenshire County Council | 2,131 miles | £40,585,072 | £44,501,185 | £89,002,369 |
| Central Bedfordshire | 884 miles | £13,500,000 | £18,462,153 | £36,924,306 |
| Ceredigion County Council | 1,334 miles | £13,630,072 | £27,855,406 | £55,710,812 |
| Cheshire East | 1,693 miles | £65,606,936 | £35,341,466 | £70,682,931 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 1,400 miles | £27,125,000 | £29,230,661 | £58,461,323 |
| City of Edinburgh Council | 972 miles | £49,862,000 | £20,304,476 | £40,608,953 |
| City of London | 29 miles | £70,000 | £609,783 | £1,219,566 |
| City of York | 493 miles | £14,517,000 | £10,288,466 | £20,576,933 |
| Clackmannanshire Council | 196 miles | £5,892,000 | £4,086,843 | £8,173,687 |
| Conwy County Borough Council | 951 miles | £20,439,793 | £19,863,357 | £39,726,713 |
| Cornwall | 4,561 miles | £61,028,000 | £95,242,914 | £190,485,828 |
| Coventry | 556 miles | £15,446,000 | £11,598,851 | £23,197,702 |
| Croydon | 482 miles | £12,449,000 | £10,067,906 | £20,135,813 |
| Cumberland | 2,253 miles | £27,348,000 | £47,044,109 | £94,088,219 |
| Darlington | 338 miles | £4,248,000 | £7,057,914 | £14,115,828 |
| Denbighshire County Council | 853 miles | £17,946,416 | £17,800,474 | £35,600,948 |
| Derby | 478 miles | £5,673,000 | £9,977,088 | £19,954,175 |
| Derbyshire | 3,475 miles | £59,938,000 | £72,564,176 | £145,128,353 |
| Devon | 7,978 miles | £114,349,000 | £166,574,551 | £333,149,101 |
| Doncaster | 1,014 miles | £6,828,000 | £21,173,741 | £42,347,483 |
| Dorset | 2,355 miles | £32,581,520 | £49,171,863 | £98,343,726 |
| Dudley | 647 miles | £15,994,000 | £13,506,045 | £27,012,089 |
| Dumfries and Galloway Council | 2,683 miles | £34,604,000 | £56,022,191 | £112,044,382 |
| Dundee City Council | 377 miles | £10,362,000 | £7,875,283 | £15,750,565 |
| Durham | 2,356 miles | £50,000,000 | £49,184,837 | £98,369,674 |
| Ealing | 369 miles | £7,659,752 | £7,706,619 | £15,413,238 |
| East Ayrshire Council | 799 miles | £20,691,000 | £16,684,701 | £33,369,401 |
| East Dunbartonshire Council | 347 miles | £17,180,000 | £7,252,525 | £14,505,051 |
| East Lothian Council | 682 miles | £20,384,000 | £14,245,569 | £28,491,137 |
| East Renfrewshire Council | 322 miles | £31,909,000 | £6,720,587 | £13,441,174 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 2,154 miles | £31,262,000 | £44,968,252 | £89,936,505 |
| East Sussex | 2,044 miles | £21,000,000 | £42,671,836 | £85,343,671 |
| Enfield | 388 miles | £3,733,000 | £8,108,816 | £16,217,633 |
| Essex | 5,092 miles | £151,353,000 | £106,309,827 | £212,619,654 |
| Falkirk Council | 586 miles | £25,664,000 | £12,234,582 | £24,469,164 |
| Fife Council | 1,682 miles | £71,302,000 | £35,120,906 | £70,241,811 |
| Flintshire County Council | 775 miles | £15,182,872 | £16,178,711 | £32,357,421 |
| Gateshead | 559 miles | £50,000,000 | £11,663,722 | £23,327,443 |
| Glasgow City Council | 1,167 miles | £109,212,950 | £24,365,372 | £48,730,743 |
| Gloucestershire | 3,433 miles | £77,153,000 | £71,681,937 | £143,363,874 |
| Greenwich | 322 miles | £2,830,000 | £6,733,561 | £13,467,122 |
| Gwynedd Council | 1,432 miles | £16,875,476 | £29,905,315 | £59,810,630 |
| Hackney | 168 miles | £12,100,000 | £3,503,009 | £7,006,017 |
| Halton | 372 miles | £9,536,000 | £7,758,516 | £15,517,031 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 137 miles | £2,030,000 | £2,854,303 | £5,708,607 |
| Hampshire | 5,511 miles | £103,772,000 | £115,067,349 | £230,134,697 |
| Haringey | 221 miles | £5,321,000 | £4,605,808 | £9,211,615 |
| Harrow | 293 miles | £16,542,851 | £6,123,778 | £12,247,556 |
| Hartlepool | 255 miles | £3,000,000 | £5,332,358 | £10,664,715 |
| Havering | 418 miles | £10,720,860 | £8,731,574 | £17,463,147 |
| Herefordshire | 2,038 miles | £50,000,000 | £42,555,069 | £85,110,137 |
| Hertfordshire | 3,060 miles | £134,239,000 | £63,897,473 | £127,794,947 |
| Highland Council | 4,391 miles | £84,408,000 | £91,675,035 | £183,350,070 |
| Hillingdon | 446 miles | £14,244,000 | £9,302,434 | £18,604,868 |
| Hounslow | 304 miles | £3,668,643 | £6,357,312 | £12,714,624 |
| Inverclyde Council | 249 miles | £8,394,000 | £5,189,643 | £10,379,285 |
| Isle of Anglesey County Council | 735 miles | £11,499,337 | £15,348,368 | £30,696,735 |
| Isle of Wight | 547 miles | £3,910,000 | £11,430,188 | £22,860,375 |
| Isles of Scilly | 21 miles | £218,000 | £441,120 | £882,239 |
| Islington | 147 miles | £5,060,000 | £3,074,863 | £6,149,726 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 132 miles | £4,477,000 | £2,763,485 | £5,526,969 |
| Kent | 5,664 miles | £119,683,000 | £118,258,979 | £236,517,957 |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of | 468 miles | £7,621,000 | £9,769,502 | £19,539,004 |
| Kingston upon Thames | 214 miles | £2,150,000 | £4,463,093 | £8,926,185 |
| Kirklees | 1,187 miles | £20,463,453 | £24,780,543 | £49,561,086 |
| Knowsley | 370 miles | £10,361,708 | £7,719,593 | £15,439,186 |
| Lambeth | 239 miles | £11,085,007 | £4,982,057 | £9,964,114 |
| Lancashire | 4,333 miles | £96,005,000 | £90,481,417 | £180,962,834 |
| Leeds | 1,789 miles | £41,842,505 | £37,352,452 | £74,704,904 |
| Leicester | 519 miles | £13,025,000 | £10,846,353 | £21,692,706 |
| Leicestershire | 2,853 miles | £49,071,000 | £59,577,096 | £119,154,192 |
| Lewisham | 270 miles | £7,729,000 | £5,630,762 | £11,261,524 |
| Lincolnshire | 5,558 miles | £106,610,000 | £116,053,381 | £232,106,761 |
| Liverpool | 892 miles | £27,714,779 | £18,617,843 | £37,235,685 |
| Luton | 290 miles | £8,641,534 | £6,045,934 | £12,091,867 |
| Manchester | 866 miles | £24,686,000 | £18,085,904 | £36,171,808 |
| Medway | 534 miles | £5,524,000 | £11,157,731 | £22,315,463 |
| Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council | 193 miles | £13,611,775 | £4,034,947 | £8,069,894 |
| Merton | 232 miles | £6,115,000 | £4,852,316 | £9,704,631 |
| Middlesbrough | 350 miles | £10,372,000 | £7,317,396 | £14,634,792 |
| Midlothian Council | 432 miles | £16,873,000 | £9,029,978 | £18,059,956 |
| Milton Keynes | 830 miles | £28,486,711 | £17,333,406 | £34,666,812 |
| Monmouthshire County Council | 944 miles | £20,826,284 | £19,720,642 | £39,441,283 |
| Moray Council | 1,048 miles | £11,705,000 | £21,887,317 | £43,774,635 |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) Council | 791 miles | £14,935,000 | £16,516,037 | £33,032,075 |
| Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council | 515 miles | £17,869,305 | £10,755,534 | £21,511,068 |
| Newcastle | 622 miles | £19,506,703 | £12,987,080 | £25,974,161 |
| Newham | 268 miles | £11,050,000 | £5,591,840 | £11,183,680 |
| Newport City Council | 460 miles | £18,654,046 | £9,600,839 | £19,201,677 |
| Norfolk | 6,096 miles | £82,015,000 | £127,275,983 | £254,551,965 |
| North Ayrshire Council | 684 miles | £33,978,000 | £14,271,517 | £28,543,034 |
| North East Lincolnshire | 398 miles | £29,085,876 | £8,316,402 | £16,632,804 |
| North Lanarkshire Council | 1,068 miles | £54,874,000 | £22,302,489 | £44,604,977 |
| North Lincolnshire | 858 miles | £14,265,000 | £17,917,241 | £35,834,482 |
| North Northamptonshire | 1,151 miles | £23,465,000 | £24,041,019 | £48,082,038 |
| North Somerset | 700 miles | £12,061,623 | £14,608,844 | £29,217,687 |
| North Tyneside | 506 miles | £7,791,251 | £10,560,923 | £21,121,845 |
| North Yorkshire | 5,308 miles | £62,933,000 | £110,824,816 | £221,649,632 |
| Northumberland | 3,019 miles | £37,742,878 | £63,028,208 | £126,056,417 |
| Nottingham | 491 miles | £8,205,000 | £10,249,544 | £20,499,088 |
| Nottinghamshire | 2,720 miles | £72,261,000 | £56,800,637 | £113,601,275 |
| Oldham | 511 miles | £10,319,589 | £10,677,689 | £21,355,379 |
| Orkney Islands Council | 649 miles | £12,235,000 | £13,557,941 | £27,115,882 |
| Oxfordshire | 2,905 miles | £67,769,528 | £60,653,947 | £121,307,894 |
| Pembrokeshire County Council | 1,548 miles | £38,879,728 | £32,331,473 | £64,662,946 |
| Perth and Kinross Council | 1,671 miles | £37,519,000 | £34,900,346 | £69,800,692 |
| Peterborough | 605 miles | £13,137,800 | £12,623,805 | £25,247,611 |
| Plymouth | 524 miles | £22,065,000 | £10,950,146 | £21,900,291 |
| Portsmouth | 278 miles | £34,486,000 | £5,799,426 | £11,598,851 |
| Powys County Council | 3,065 miles | £41,066,828 | £63,988,292 | £127,976,584 |
| Reading | 247 miles | £8,019,048 | £5,163,694 | £10,327,389 |
| Redbridge | 331 miles | £5,100,000 | £6,915,199 | £13,830,397 |
| Redcar & Cleveland | 413 miles | £8,250,000 | £8,614,807 | £17,229,613 |
| Renfrewshire Council | 592 miles | £38,666,000 | £12,351,349 | £24,702,698 |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council | 736 miles | £51,901,234 | £15,374,316 | £30,748,632 |
| Richmond upon Thames | 257 miles | £8,800,000 | £5,358,306 | £10,716,612 |
| Rochdale | 478 miles | £7,402,141 | £9,990,062 | £19,980,124 |
| Rotherham | 731 miles | £7,283,387 | £15,257,549 | £30,515,098 |
| Rutland | 337 miles | £16,820,529 | £7,031,966 | £14,063,931 |
| Salford | 493 miles | £9,043,743 | £10,301,440 | £20,602,881 |
| Sandwell | 520 miles | £14,839,348 | £10,859,327 | £21,718,654 |
| Scottish Borders Council | 1,928 miles | £29,202,000 | £40,258,652 | £80,517,304 |
| Sefton | 616 miles | £8,960,556 | £12,870,313 | £25,740,627 |
| Sheffield | 1,219 miles | £17,800,230 | £25,442,222 | £50,884,445 |
| Shetland Islands Council | 642 miles | £42,573,000 | £13,402,252 | £26,804,504 |
| Shropshire | 3,143 miles | £41,901,173 | £65,623,030 | £131,246,059 |
| Slough | 196 miles | £1,888,000 | £4,099,818 | £8,199,635 |
| Solihull | 529 miles | £9,792,000 | £11,040,964 | £22,081,929 |
| Somerset | 4,163 miles | £76,066,451 | £86,926,512 | £173,853,024 |
| South Ayrshire Council | 769 miles | £16,302,000 | £16,048,969 | £32,097,939 |
| South Gloucestershire | 936 miles | £16,007,000 | £19,539,004 | £39,078,008 |
| South Lanarkshire Council | 1,532 miles | £51,457,000 | £31,994,146 | £63,988,292 |
| South Tyneside | 351 miles | £7,147,000 | £7,330,370 | £14,660,740 |
| Southampton | 367 miles | £7,817,825 | £7,654,723 | £15,309,445 |
| Southend-on-Sea | 285 miles | £9,656,608 | £5,955,115 | £11,910,230 |
| Southwark | 244 miles | £7,800,000 | £5,098,824 | £10,197,648 |
| St Helens | 457 miles | £10,667,000 | £9,548,942 | £19,097,884 |
| Staffordshire | 3,807 miles | £70,231,221 | £79,492,349 | £158,984,698 |
| Stirling Council | 664 miles | £21,763,000 | £13,869,320 | £27,738,639 |
| Stockport | 610 miles | £15,067,828 | £12,740,572 | £25,481,145 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 526 miles | £6,919,802 | £10,976,094 | £21,952,188 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 542 miles | £8,776,865 | £11,313,421 | £22,626,841 |
| Suffolk | 4,148 miles | £55,992,000 | £86,615,134 | £173,230,267 |
| Sunderland | 736 miles | £12,207,022 | £15,361,342 | £30,722,684 |
| Surrey | 3,319 miles | £84,949,742 | £69,307,676 | £138,615,351 |
| Sutton | 291 miles | £7,747,493 | £6,084,856 | £12,169,712 |
| Swansea Council | 722 miles | £33,308,870 | £15,075,911 | £30,151,823 |
| Swindon | 518 miles | £8,768,000 | £10,820,405 | £21,640,809 |
| Tameside | 469 miles | £9,024,110 | £9,795,450 | £19,590,900 |
| Telford and Wrekin | 674 miles | £19,321,000 | £14,063,931 | £28,127,862 |
| Thurrock | 362 miles | £6,625,580 | £7,550,930 | £15,101,860 |
| Torbay | 328 miles | £6,598,000 | £6,850,328 | £13,700,656 |
| Torfaen County Borough Council | 295 miles | £8,914,414 | £6,162,700 | £12,325,401 |
| Tower Hamlets | 185 miles | £10,620,000 | £3,853,310 | £7,706,619 |
| Trafford | 508 miles | £6,973,660 | £10,599,845 | £21,199,690 |
| Vale of Glamorgan Council | 589 miles | £22,537,980 | £12,299,453 | £24,598,906 |
| Wakefield | 903 miles | £17,462,000 | £18,864,351 | £37,728,701 |
| Walsall | 542 miles | £10,415,000 | £11,313,421 | £22,626,841 |
| Waltham Forest | 262 miles | £7,016,515 | £5,475,073 | £10,950,146 |
| Wandsworth | 268 miles | £11,650,000 | £5,604,814 | £11,209,628 |
| Warrington | 609 miles | £13,755,000 | £12,714,624 | £25,429,248 |
| Warwickshire | 2,576 miles | £51,192,000 | £53,777,671 | £107,555,341 |
| West Berkshire | 822 miles | £12,000,000 | £17,164,743 | £34,329,485 |
| West Dunbartonshire Council | 254 miles | £11,764,000 | £5,293,435 | £10,586,871 |
| West Lothian Council | 740 miles | £24,025,000 | £15,452,161 | £30,904,321 |
| West Northamptonshire | 1,545 miles | £21,102,000 | £32,253,628 | £64,507,256 |
| West Sussex | 2,543 miles | £60,700,000 | £53,090,043 | £106,180,086 |
| Westminster | 209 miles | £21,318,900 | £4,372,274 | £8,744,548 |
| Westmorland and Furness | 2,523 miles | £37,667,239 | £52,674,871 | £105,349,743 |
| Wigan | 726 miles | £12,674,131 | £15,166,730 | £30,333,460 |
| Wiltshire | 2,817 miles | £66,836,571 | £58,824,598 | £117,649,196 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 408 miles | £13,804,361 | £8,523,988 | £17,047,976 |
| Wirral | 747 miles | £7,819,135 | £15,594,876 | £31,189,751 |
| Wokingham | 503 miles | £12,729,000 | £10,496,052 | £20,992,104 |
| Wolverhampton | 463 miles | £8,293,000 | £9,665,709 | £19,331,418 |
| Worcestershire | 2,608 miles | £62,112,366 | £54,452,324 | £108,904,648 |
| Wrexham County Borough Council | 739 miles | £25,878,517 | £15,426,212 | £30,852,425 |
Illustrative only. This model allocates the recovery fund by saved local authority road length so areas with more local road responsibility receive a larger share.
What the recovery fund should cover
Resurfacing and reconstruction
The money must go into durable works, not endless temporary pothole filling.
Drainage failure
Roads will keep failing if water and foundations are ignored.
Motorcycle and pedestrian danger points
High-risk defects need priority where the consequences are severe.
Unadopted road recovery
A dedicated route should exist for severe residential roads trapped outside normal maintenance.