Council faces £48m road repair backlog despite extra government funding

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter

A Welsh county has admitted it has a backlog of necessary road repair work totalling £48 million, despite additional money provided by Welsh Government.

According to Flintshire County Council’s Chief Officer for Streetscene and Transportation Katie Wilby, the authority is still struggling to prevent the deterioration of the county’s road network due to an ongoing shortfall of funding.

“The estimated sum required to maintain a steady state of the current condition is £5m per year,” she said. “However, at no time in the last 10 years has the level of investment been close to that required to maintain the condition (the steady state value) and the last survey report showed that the investment required to clear the backlog of maintenance works totalled £48m.”

It was a problem highlighted by Flintshire People’s Voice councillor Alasdair Ibbotson at the final Flintshire Council meeting of 2025.

In that meeting he asked the Cabinet Member for Highways, Assets and Public Protection Cllr Ted Palmer: “In a press release from the council dated 29th September 2025 the Cabinet member for highways said: “We very much welcome this major funding which will allow us to tackle the significant backlog of construction and repair work required on the road networks across the county.

“We know that this is a priority for our residents and local communities and it is essential that we keep our  roads safe and well maintained.”

“What percentage of the identified backlog of road repairs will the announced funding allow for the repair of?”

In a written response Cllr Palmer said the funding represented 11.8% of the additional funding needed.

“For the period 2025 to 2027, the council has been allocated £5,664,820 to help address the backlog,” he wrote.

“When we compare the funding to the total cost, it becomes clear how far the money will go. The £5.7 million available represents around 11.8% of the £48 million needed.

“In simple terms, this means that the current funding will cover just over one-tenth of the total road repairs required in Flintshire. While this funding will allow the council to target the highest-risk and worst-condition roads, it is not sufficient to eliminate the backlog and difficult prioritisation decisions will continue to be necessary.”

There are 30 roads that will undergo resurfacing or minor surface treatment works before the end of the financial year in April. Flintshire County Council  did not provide a list of the roads in need of maintenance that were not scheduled for works.

“The council has adopted a Highway Asset Management Plan which covers the period between 2024-2030,” said Ms Wilby. “The plan sets out the council’s approach for the management of all highway assets including carriageways, footways, street lighting, drainage and structures.

“We apply a risk-based approach to the management of our highways, analysing data to direct resources to the areas of greatest risk, along with information from highway inspections and any other available condition surveys, prioritising minor repairs over resurfacing.

“Repairs to roads include a range of methods like patching, surface dressing and major resurfacing, which are prioritised depending on the safety risk and usage.”

Planned road maintenance projects can be found on the  Roads, Streets and Travel section of the Flintshire Council website.