The Department for Transport should produce a 'performance guide' for councils, setting out clear expectations on pothole prevention, the UK's bitumen emulsion industry has said.
The Road Emulsion Association (REA), which represents the UK’s bitumen emulsion manufacturers, made the call in an open letter to chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of her Spending Review statement to Parliament on 11 June.
Outlining the case for keeping a 'strong focus on preventative maintenance', the REA called for changes to funding and transparency on road maintenance activities.
'We believe our proposed actions will help deliver a step change in the resilience and economic sustainability of England’s local roads. The REA and its members are ready to collaborate with government to ensure that funding allocated through the Spending Review achieves maximum long-term impact,' the letter said.
REA members asked for a local performance guide that can 'explicitly set out expectations and best practice for local road preventative treatments like surface dressing and encapsulation'.
In an exclusive interview with Highways at this year's Traffex, the future of roads minister Lilian Greenwood was questioned on this topic.
Highways asked whether the DfT was considering using the recently reintroduced incentive element of maintenance funding to apply specific benchmarks and targets for aspects of highways work such as preventative maintenance.
The minister backed away from confirming any plans for specific targets, but said that the process was still in 'year one' and that it would evolve.
The REA also reiterated its recent call for the DfT to create 'two separate funding streams for road maintenance within local authorities: one for preventative works and one to repair the damage caused by many years of underfunded and neglected/untreated local roads'.
Public sector accountancy rules set councils separate capital and revenue funding streams, with capital cash allocated for more long-term, structural improvements and revenue cash allocated to more reactive repair work. However, the lines between the two have historically been somewhat blurred.
Industry sources have long suggested the terms are open to interpretation and often it comes down to the individual section 151 officer in any given authority to determine where to draw the line.
The association also called for councils' annual reporting requirements to include 'the kilometres/miles of local roads that require preventative maintenance programmes over the next five years and in what order of priority'.
REA chair Mark Stott commented: 'We’re encouraged to see the Government placing renewed emphasis on preventative maintenance. Surface dressing and encapsulation are proven to extend the lifespan of local roads at a fraction of the cost of full resurfacing, while reducing disruption to road users.
'By adopting a more strategic, data-led approach, local authorities can address underlying defects before they escalate into costly potholes and structural failures.'
The REA's members are Kier, Colas, Total, Nynas, Jobling-Purser, Bituchem and Eurovia.
