Urgent petition to fix our roads
Everyone is furious and frustrated by the state of our roads and it’s costing people dear with damage to their vehicles. This has to change!
Roads are the lifeblood of our region. They underpin our economy - both the essential services including healthcare, education and food supply that keep our community functioning, and our world-renowned research and development sectors that drive our region’s economic growth. A reliable road network is not a luxury; it is a necessity for daily life, economic growth and continued international investment.
The legacy of managed decline
Under the previous Conservative-led county council, the road network in Cambridgeshire was subjected to a policy of managed decline driven by drastic budget cuts. This has left our county with a staggering £800 million+ shortfall in highways maintenance funding. While recent Liberal Democrat-led initiatives have successfully halted this decline by boosting investment and improving management systems, local efforts alone cannot reverse decades of underfunding.
An unfair funding formula
The current national funding formula for road maintenance and potholes is fundamentally flawed. By allocating funds based on road class and length rather than the actual cost of maintenance, the Government is penalising regions like South Cambridgeshire with complex geography.
Our unique geology makes road maintenance significantly more expensive. Approximately 40% of our roads are built on Fenland peat or South Cambridgeshire clay, which are prone to expansion and contraction caused by temperature and moisture changes. These roads cost four to five times more to maintain than a standard road.
The requirements for recovery
Cambridgeshire County Council has already taken steps to modernise data and processes, more than doubling capital maintenance spending. However, the council cannot fix this legacy £800 million problem without central government support. South Cambridgeshire constituency alone requires between £65 and £90 million in funding to fix its roads.
The petition
We call upon the Government to:
- Provide emergency funds: allocate a specific one-off capital grant to fix South Cambridgeshire’s roads.
- Reform the funding formula: transition from a length and class-based model to a cost-to-maintain model that accounts for the unique geological challenges of soil-affected roads.
- Ensure long-term sustainability: guarantee a maintenance budget that allows roads to be kept at a ‘green standard’ following initial repairs, preventing a return to managed decline.
Please sign our petition below to show your support for our campaign to fix our roads.
Fair funding for Cambridgeshire's Road Network
The prosperity of the Greater Cambridge region depends on a road network that is fit for the 21st century. Please sign our petition below to show your support for our campaign to fix our roads.