Council reveals £300m roads repair challenge as it pledges to move away from 'pothole culture'
West Northamptonshire Council says it would cost around £300 million to bring every road across its network up to the standard residents would ideally expect.
The figure has been revealed by Councillor Richard Butler, the Reform-led council's cabinet member for highways and transport, as he outlined WNC's approach to improving roads and tackling potholes.
Councillor Butler said years of underfunding of highway maintenance nationally had resulted in a significant backlog of repairs, with the authority increasingly focusing on preventative work rather than waiting for roads to deteriorate.
During the year from May 2025, council teams resurfaced around 106,600 square metres of road – more than double the amount completed during the same period the previous year, he said.
However, Councillor Butler said the council also saw a 42 per cent increase in reports of potholes during the year.
He said: "If we are serious about improving our roads for the long term, we need to move from a pothole culture to a prevention culture.
"By carrying out repairs at the right time, we can extend the life of roads, reduce the likelihood of more serious defects developing and make better use of the funding available to us.
"Put simply, it's far more effective to preserve a road in reasonable condition than to wait until it has failed and requires much more extensive work."
Councillor Butler acknowledged some roads would continue to be considered in poor condition by residents because the council has to prioritise safety-critical problems and routes carrying the greatest volumes of traffic.
Lower-use and unclassified roads can consequently be given a lower priority, even where surfaces appear worn or are uncomfortable to drive on.
Councillor Butler said bringing the entire network up to the standard residents would ideally expect would require investment "measured not in millions but in hundreds of millions of pounds", with the current estimate standing at around £300 million.
He added that even if the money became available immediately, completing such a large programme would be difficult because of the skilled workforce, specialist machinery and materials required, as well as the disruption caused by widespread roadworks.
The council is now hoping its maintenance work will reduce some of the problems experienced last winter, although Councillor Butler warned wet and freezing weather would inevitably put additional pressure on the network.
He said there was "no single quick fix", but argued continued preventative maintenance and targeted investment could deliver steady improvements over the longer term.