The 31st Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey reveals that road users in the South East should not expect immediate improvements to local networks, despite a 17% increase in average maintenance budgets for 2025-26. While investment from central and local government has risen, the region currently faces a staggering £2.82 billion repair backlog, accounting for 14% of the total deficit across England and Wales.
Although 60% of the South East’s network remains in good structural condition, 11% is expected to fail within five years, and over 11,000 miles of road have less than 15 years of structural life remaining.
Industry leaders describe the state of local roads as a national disgrace, noting that frequent adverse weather and a decade of underfunding have left the network increasingly fragile. In the South East alone, authorities filled over 282,000 potholes last year at a cost of £22.1 million, yet they still required an additional £170 million just to reach their own maintenance targets. AA President Edmund King likened the current state of many routes to “patchwork obstacle courses” exacerbated by one of the wettest winters on record.
The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) suggests that while highway engineers are cautiously optimistic about increased funding, it is not a “silver bullet” for the repair backlog. The AIA argues that the public will not notice significant changes for some time unless the government frontloads its financial commitments. Shifting away from a cycle of reactive “patch and repair” toward proactive resurfacing is essential to preventing potholes before they form and securing the long-term health of the region’s infrastructure.
Based on the ALARM 2026 findings, here is a comparison of how the South East’s road infrastructure measures up against the national statistics for England and Wales.
Comparative Maintenance Statistics (2025-26)
| Metric | South East Region | England & Wales (National) |
| Total Repair Backlog | £2.82 billion | £18.62 billion |
| Backlog Share | 14% of national total | 100% |
| Annual Budget Shortfall | £170 million | £1.37 billion |
| Roads in “Good” Condition | 60% | 47% |
| Roads with <5 Years Life | 11% | 15% |
| Roads with <15 Years Life | 39% (11,000+ miles) | 53% (107,000+ miles) |
| Potholes Filled (Yearly) | 282,251 | ~2.0 million |
| Cost of Filling Potholes | £22.1 million | ~£150 million |
Key Takeaways
While the South East currently reports a higher percentage of roads in “good” structural condition (60%) compared to the national average (47%), the region is far from immune to the wider crisis. The £2.82 billion required to bring South East roads to an ideal state reflects a massive legacy of underfunding that cannot be cleared by the recent 17% budget increase alone.
Furthermore, the region’s shortfall of £170 million—the extra money councils needed just to stop things from getting worse last year—highlights why road users continue to see “patchwork” repairs rather than long-term resurfacing.