Staffordshire County Council Rebuffs Claims of £54m Extra Government Funding for Roads, Announces £15m Local Investment

Staffordshire, UK – February 3, 2026 – In a pointed letter to local MPs, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Highways, Peter Mason, has strongly refuted reports suggesting the authority received an additional £54 million in government funding for road maintenance, calling such statements “false and misleading.”  The clarification comes amid ongoing debates over the county’s vast highway network, which spans nearly 4,000 miles and is valued at over £7 billion, making it one of the UK’s largest.

The letter, dated January 28, 2026, emphasizes that for the 2025/26 financial year, the council’s highways allocation totals £39.4 million – comprising a baseline grant of £28.935 million and an incentive element of £10.465 million, subject to meeting Department for Transport (DfT) criteria. This represents only a £1.3 million increase from the previous year’s settlement, far short of what’s needed to address decades of underfunding and a £300 million maintenance backlog. Mason highlighted that the incentive funding is not new but a longstanding reward for best practices, and while the council has secured it fully in past years, it remains unguaranteed.

Image sent out by certain MPs.

“We know that potholes are a key priority for residents and motorists. I am therefore proud to say that today the Cabinet have approved an extra investment of £15 million over the next two years to fix potholes across the county,” Mason wrote. This additional funding, approved by the Reform UK-led cabinet last week, aims to empower local teams for quicker, more informed repairs, better coordination, and longer-lasting fixes. It forms part of the council’s “Roadmap to a Better Network,” focusing on reducing lower-level defects and ensuring safer, more reliable roads.

The announcement follows criticisms from opposition figures and local MPs. In December 2025, Newcastle-under-Lyme Labour MP Adam Jogee lambasted the council for a reported drop in pothole repairs despite what he described as a “major uplift in funding from government.”  Similarly, Burton and Uttoxeter MP Jacob Collier recently touted the £54 million as “extra” government cash specifically for filling potholes, urging residents to report problem areas.   However, the council insists this figure misrepresents cumulative incentive projections over multiple years, not a fresh injection, and overlooks inflation’s impact – with funding levels rising just 3.5% compared to the current year’s less-than-required maintenance needs.

Council estimates paint a stark picture: maintaining carriageways alone requires around £50 million annually, while repairing all roads and bridges could cost £1.2 billion and take 181 years at current funding rates. Structures like bridges would demand 515 years to fully repair under existing allocations.

Despite these challenges, the council’s draft 2026/27 budget, set for discussion in February, includes borrowing £15 million for highways improvements alongside £5.5 million for children’s services, with no service cuts and a below-maximum 3.99% council tax rise.   Acting Leader Mike Wilcox defended the proposals amid scrutiny concerns from Conservatives, noting the budget’s balance and investments in key areas like pothole repairs.

Mason’s letter urges MPs to engage constructively, warning that unhelpful accusations damage staff morale and public trust. “I know you care deeply about the constituencies you represent, and you are absolutely right to scrutinise the work of the County Council and hold us to account,” he stated. “Our communities quite rightly want to see their elected representatives at all levels working together in their best interests.”

The government, in a March 2025 parliamentary response, described the 2025/26 allocation as an £10.5 million increase from the prior year’s £28.935 million, advocating a risk-based approach to maintenance without ring-fencing funds.  This discrepancy underscores tensions between local needs and national funding formulas.

Residents can expect visible improvements, including faster responses to reports and reduced backlogs, as the council pledges to #KeepStaffordshireMoving. With the Medium-Term Financial Strategy up for review, stakeholders anticipate further dialogue on sustainable funding.

See the original letter in Staffordshire County Council's Facebook post: