North Yorkshire Council has begun deploying an innovative chemical treatment on its roads this summer in a bid to fight potholes, following a devastating £20 million funding shortfall triggered by the region’s new mayoral authority.
The county’s highways maintenance department is facing an unexpected multi-million-pound deficit over the next four years. The shortfall comes after the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority voted to alter how central government highways funding is allocated across the region.
Despite a wider £28 million investment program into the county’s 5,800-mile road network—the largest in England—council leaders warn that the funding cut will inevitably reduce the volume of scheduled road repairs.
The £20 Million Political Row
The funding drop comes despite recent increases in central government cash. Under the new combined authority system, money that previously went directly to the local council from the Department for Transport (DfT) is now routed through the Metro Mayor’s office.
In a tense County Hall vote, North Yorkshire Council Leader Cllr Carl Les and Deputy Leader Cllr Gareth Dadd both voted against the new distribution model. However, they were outvoted by Metro Mayor David Skaith and two City of York Council representatives.
As a result of the decision, £4 million of DfT funding originally destined for North Yorkshire will be permanently redirected to the City of York Council. While North Yorkshire’s highways budget will rise from £57.8 million to £63.8 million for the 2026/27 financial year, it will plummet sharply over the subsequent three years, leaving the council at least £20 million worse off than under the previous direct-funding model.
Leader of the Council, Carl Les said:
Had the funding come directly to us like it used to for many years… we would be at least £20 million better off.
We need to be clear that this will mean we simply can’t deliver as many highways maintenance programmes as we had hoped, and that will impact our communities and businesses across North Yorkshire.
Reclamite: The 40% Cheaper Pothole Cure
To counter the combined pressures of the £20 million shortfall, high inflation, and supply chain constraints, NY Highways teams are introducing “Reclamite”—a preventative asphalt rejuvenation technology provided by specialist firm Roadtechs.
The liquid solution is sprayed directly onto existing road surfaces to enrich the asphalt, sealing cracks before potholes can form.
Key benefits of the new system include:
- Cost Efficiency: Reduces overall repair and resurfacing costs by up to 40 per cent.
- Longevity: Extends the operational life of a road surface by five years per application, and can be repeated.
- Speed: Requires significantly less time and causes far less traffic disruption than traditional resurfacing.
- Sustainability: Drastically lowers carbon dioxide emissions and physical aggregate waste by recycling materials in situ.
The treatment is making its debut this summer on high-profile routes, including the local access road running parallel to the A1(M) between Leeming Bar and Catterick, the Bedale and Leeming Bar bypass, and key routes near Topcliffe.
Maximising Extant Budgets
Alongside Reclamite, the council is expanding other cost-saving measures, including mechanical road retexturing to restore grip and deep “inlay patching” to prevent repeat repair visits to identical defects.
Cllr Malcolm Taylor, executive member for highways and transportation, emphasized that innovation is now a necessity:
We are looking at increasingly innovative ways to deliver our highways maintenance programmes, which is vital as we face major pressures on our budgets.
While we are facing very significant financial challenges, we are committed to maintaining the county’s extensive networks of roads while offering the very best value for our taxpayers.
