Millions of pounds that are due to be cut from the highways budget will severely impact the state of the county’s roads, North Yorkshire Council’s leader has warned.
The authority is facing a reduction of £20 million for highways maintenance over the next four years amid plans by the mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, to change the allocation of funding between North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council.
A total of £4 million in funds which would have come to North Yorkshire Council from the Department for Transport are now due to be redirected to City of York Council under the proposals.
North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said that the plans to reduce highways maintenance funding will accentuate already intense funding pressures.
Cllr Les said:
We have one of the most extensive roads networks in the country, and we are committed to making sure that our highways are maintained to the best standard possible.
We have faced harsh weather conditions throughout a particularly wet winter, and the full allocation of the Department for Transport’s funding would allow us to start to improve the condition of the highways network.
But to be confronted with a loss of more than £20 million even before inflation is factored in over the next four financial years is going to have a very detrimental effect on the condition of our highways.
This is also putting even more pressure on our financial situation as we have had to deal with a reduction in funding running into millions of pounds in our overall budget.
A meeting of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority will be held on Friday next week (March 27) to discuss the allocation of highways maintenance funding.
North Yorkshire Council is set to receive £63.8 million for highways maintenance in 2026/27, which would be an increase from £57.8 million in the current financial year.
However, due to the proposed changes, North Yorkshire Council is set to see a reduction for highways maintenance of £20 million as funding is due to reduce over the following three financial years compared to what would have been received directly from the Department for Transport.
Cllr Les and North Yorkshire Council’s deputy leader, Cllr Gareth Dadd, who are both members of the combined authority, are due to discuss the proposals with the mayor on Friday next week.
Two councillors from City of York Council, who are also members of the combined authority, are due to be involved in next week’s meeting.
Cllr Dadd said:
We have already held discussions with the mayor and our colleagues at the combined authority to point out the impact that the loss of millions of pounds in funding will have, and to try to find a way forward.
We are grateful to the Government for the additional funding to deal with potholes that has been announced for all councils. But the mayor is planning to change how this funding is distributed, and we are set to be left with less funding while City of York Council is due to have its share increased.
What is planned would severely impact our communities as well as businesses and visitors who rely so heavily on North Yorkshire’s extensive highways network.
North Yorkshire’s roads network spans more than 9,200 kilometres, of which 8,600 kilometres is surfaced with the remainder being classed as unsurfaced and unclassified routes.
The county’s surfaced roads network is the sixth largest in England. By comparison, the roads network covered by City of York Council stretches for 790 kilometres.
According to figures from 2024/25, North Yorkshire Council is dealing with 887 kilometres of unclassified roads which are classed as in the most urgent need of repairs – longer than the entire length of York’s highways network.
.
