£9bn+
Paid by drivers
VED alone raises around nine billion pounds a year nationally.
Paid by drivers. Neglected by government.
Drivers pay in. Government leaves local roads short.
VED raises around £9bn a year, yet councils are still left trying to cover potholes, resurfacing, drainage, lighting, signs, structures and safety work with too little returned. That is why local roads keep failing.
Drivers already fund the system
Local roads still get too little back
“No money” is not a serious answer
If ministers say there is no money for local roads, they need to explain where motorists' money went.
Millions
Still missing locally
Many councils are still left with dribs and drabs for local roads.
Faults
Are the result
Potholes, drainage failures and patchwork resurfacing are symptoms of chronic under-return.
Answer
Where did it go?
If government says there is no money, it needs to account for motorists' money.
Our demand
Return a fairer share of driver-generated revenue to the roads people actually use.
Proper funding for potholes, resurfacing, drainage, lighting, signs, structures and long-term repair.
Stop leaving councils to stretch too little across too much. Stop pretending managed decline is normal. Drivers already pay in.
Back the campaign
The case in plain English
Drivers already funded the system. Councils are still being left to patch decline.
The problem is not mysterious. Drivers pay nationally. Local authorities are expected to keep roads safe and moving. Yet too many are still left trying to spread limited money across potholes, resurfacing, drainage, footways, lighting, signs and structures.
What highway money has to cover
- Potholes and day-to-day reactive repairs
- Resurfacing and larger planned renewals
- Drainage, flooding points and gully work
- Street lighting, signs, markings and safety defects
- Footways, structures and wider highway upkeep
What keeps happening instead
- Authorities are left with budgets that do not match the task
- Repairs are delayed until defects become more expensive
- Short-term patching replaces proper long-term renewal
- Residents are told there is no money while drivers already pay in
- The network keeps slipping backwards and the bill keeps growing
The pressure point
If government says there is no money, it still has to answer where motorists' money went.
When ministers say local roads cannot be funded properly, they are not answering the central question. Drivers already pay into the system. If that money is not coming back properly to the roads people actually use, government needs to explain the gap and stop forcing councils to manage decline.
Take action
Turn frustration into pressure.
Use the two actions below to make the point directly: drivers pay in, local roads still fail, and government needs to return more to the authorities expected to maintain them.
Sign the petition
Add your name to the demand for a stronger return of driver-generated money to the authorities expected to maintain local roads.
Contact your MP
Ask one direct question: if drivers already pay into the system, why are local roads still getting too little back?
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