Staffordshire County Council pledges extra £15m to tackle road repairs and pothole backlog

Staffordshire County Council has announced plans to invest an additional £15 million into road repairs over the next two years, as part of its Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) covering 2026 to 2031.

The extra funding has been added to the council’s highways budget to help tackle a growing backlog of road defects across Staffordshire, particularly lower-priority potholes and surface issues that, while not always dangerous, can still cause daily frustration for drivers, cyclists and local communities.

What the extra funding will be used for

The council says its highways teams are currently required to prioritise repairs based on safety risk:

• Category 1 defects, which are the most serious, must be repaired within 24 hours, while Category 2 defects must be repaired within 7 days.

While these urgent repairs will continue as normal, the additional £15 million - spread over the next two years - will allow crews to go further by addressing more Category 3 and Category 4 defects. These typically include smaller potholes and minor road surface problems that do not meet the highest risk thresholds but still affect road quality and comfort.

Local teams for local roads

As part of the investment, the council says it will introduce a “local teams for local issues” approach.

Under this model, highways crews will focus on specific local areas, allowing people with local knowledge to respond more quickly and work more efficiently. The council believes this will improve response times and reduce the wait for long-standing, lower-priority issues to be dealt with.

The authority says the changes should lead to better responses to local reports, less waiting for persistent defects, and roads that feel smoother, safer and better maintained.

Part of a longer-term road strategy

The council has described the funding boost as part of its wider commitment to improving Staffordshire’s highway network and keeping the county moving.

The Medium Term Financial Strategy, including the extra £15 million highways investment to be used over the next two years, is due to be discussed at a county council Cabinet meeting in February.

Final decisions will be confirmed following that discussion.