Kirklees’ roads need a total of £67m worth of repairs and now it’s all about ‘managed deterioration’

The state of roads in Kirklees – and across the country – has been revealed in a council report.

Kirklees’ crumbling road network needs £267m of repairs – yet the council only has a budget of £13m a year.

Nationally, more than half of roads are less than 15 years old and £16.3 billion is needed to address the maintenance backlog.

A report to Kirklees Council’s Cabinet is clear in its assessment, saying: “The motorway network is therefore in a state of managed deterioration.”

The council’s cabinet will be asked to approve highways budgets of £24.2m for 2024-25 and £17.1m for 2025-26.

This money is not just spent on the roads themselves, but also includes bridges, walls, street lights, pedestrian crossings and “active travel” routes to encourage walking and cycling.

Of the £24.2 million for this financial year, nearly £1.3 million will be spent on pothole repairs.

The report to Cabinet on Tuesday 9 July said: “As with all assets, further investment is required in Kirklees’ road network to counter natural and user-induced deterioration and to enable roads to meet user expectations .

“A poorly maintained network can present a danger to highway users, create congestion and pollution through unplanned roadworks, cause a negative impact on the local economy and lead to increased ‘third party’ claims against the council for vehicle and/or personal damage. injury.

“All these factors place an unforeseen burden on the highway’s revenue budget and staff resources, resulting in a significant proportion of the budget being spent on purely reactive maintenance as opposed to preventative measures.

“As a Highways Authority, the council has certain legal obligations that it must meet to ensure that the motorway network is safe and fit for purpose.

“From time to time, these obligations may become the subject of claims for loss or personal injury. Demonstrating that the council maintains the motorway in accordance with the Code of Practice is essential to being able to counter such claims and to protect the ‘public good’.

The council says it is commissioning an independent assessment of the condition of its roads and working with other local authorities to benchmark performance.

The report adds: “To provide context to drive forward decision-making on the highway maintenance programme, the latest Local Authority Annual Road Maintenance Survey (ALARM) shows that nationally more than half of the road network local is reported to be 15 years or less. remaining structural life and that £16.3bn is now needed to deal with the road repair backlog in England and Wales, the highest figure in 29 years of reporting.

“In Kirklees, the total expenditure required to maintain the road network is around £267m against an annual budget of around £13m.

“Main roads expenditure is estimated at £28 million, B&C roads £29 million and the unclassified road network is estimated at £211 million. The motorway network is therefore in a state of managed deterioration.”

This summer the council is carrying out ‘surfacing’ on 32 roads in the district, including some in Almondbury, Fenay Bridge, Kirkheaton, Honley, Thongsbridge, Grange Moor and Mirfield.

Chip deposition is seen as a cost-effective way to extend the life of a road by up to 10 years. A thin surface treatment – ​​known as “slurry sealing” – can also extend the life of pavers.

The report adds: “Council engineers are determining the best package of works to maintain and extend the good condition of roads, along with the need to resurface or replace those in poorer condition.

“The cost difference between ‘preserve’ and ‘replace’ options can be five times more expensive, so it is good highway management practice to keep healthy roads in an acceptable condition and therefore more cost-effective treatments such as would be surfacing and micro asphalt is widely used.”

Kirklees Council fixed 26,087 potholes in 2023 and here’s how to make a claim if you think the council is responsible for damaging your car.