Road maintenance budget and spending

Request data on road maintenance budgets, spending, and the condition of the road network.

Councils are responsible for maintaining local roads. These requests reveal how much is being spent, whether spending is keeping pace with deterioration, and which roads are in the worst condition.

Dear [AUTHORITY NAME], Please provide the following information for [FINANCIAL YEAR e.g. 2024-25]: 1. The total budget allocated for road maintenance (capital and revenue separately). 2. The total actual expenditure on road maintenance during the period. 3. The percentage of the road network classified as in need of maintenance, based on the council's most recent road condition survey. 4. The estimated backlog of road maintenance work, in monetary terms. I would prefer to receive this as a spreadsheet or CSV if possible. Yours faithfully, [YOUR NAME]
Back to top ↑

Who to send it to#

Your local council’s roads department. Find your council on the Commissioner’s directory of Scottish public authorities. You can also send your request through WhatDoTheyKnow, which publishes responses online.

Back to top ↑

Tips#

  • The Scottish Road Maintenance Condition Survey (SRMCS) publishes national and council-level data on road conditions. Check the latest report before submitting your request.
  • A gap between the allocated budget and actual expenditure may indicate that road maintenance money is being diverted to other priorities.
  • The maintenance backlog figure (item 4) puts the scale of the problem in context. Some councils have backlogs running into hundreds of millions of pounds.