ACTION will be taken to fix the ‘plague of potholes’ throughout the South West The Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander has said.

Following yesterday’s (March 24) announcement, the public will see what’s being done to tackle potholes, as the Government will now require councils to prove progress or risk losing money.

From mid-April, local authorities will start to receive their share of the Government’s £1.6bn highway maintenance funding, including an extra £85m for the South West, but to get the full amount, all councils in England must from Monday, March 24, publish annual progress reports and prove public confidence in their work. Local authorities who fail to meet these conditions will see 25 per cent of their pothole funding withheld.

The Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “After years of neglect, we’re unblocking the South West’s roads - fixing the plague of potholes, building vital roads and ensuring every penny is delivering results for the taxpayer.

“The public deserves to know how their councils are improving their local roads, which is why they will have to show progress or risk losing 25 per cent of their £500m funding boost.

“Our Plan for Change is reversing a decade of decline and mending our pothole-ridden roads which damage cars and make pedestrians and cyclists less safe.”

The funding promised by the Transport Secretary should allow for the completion of critical road schemes, including Gloucestershire’s A417 Air Balloon roundabout.

Prime Minster, Sir Kier Starmer, said: “The broken roads we inherited are not only risking lives but also cost working families, drivers and businesses hundreds - if not thousands of pounds – in avoidable vehicle repairs. Fixing the basic infrastructure this country relies on is central to delivering national renewal, improving living standards and securing Britain’s future through our Plan for Change.

“Not only are we investing an additional £4.8 billion to deliver vital road schemes across the country to get Britain moving, next month we start handing councils a record £1.6 billion to repair roads and fill millions of potholes across the country.

“British people are bored of seeing their politicians aimlessly pointing at potholes with no real plan to fix them. That ends with us. We’ve done our part and handed councils the cash and certainty they need - now it’s up to them to get on with the job, put that money to use and prove they’re delivering for their communities.”

To ensure councils in the South West are taking action, they must now publish reports by June 30, 2025, detailing how much they are spending, potholes they have filled, percentage of roads are in what condition, and how they are minimising road disruption.

Details about the council’s preventative plans will also be required, outlining plans for things like winter protection.

By the end of October 2025, councils must also show they are ensuring communities have their say on its work. The public can also help battle back against pothole ridden roads by reporting them to their local council, via a government online portal.