Call for council election candidates to make potholes promise
The Road Emulsion Association (REA) has launched its local elections 2026 cross-party campaign, urging all candidates across England, Scotland and Wales to commit to a long-term, preventative approach to maintaining the UK’s local road network.
As part of this, the REA is championing the environmental, economic and social benefits for all road users, which can be realised through more preventative roads maintenance.
The campaign builds on a year of significant progress in the sector, including a 15% rise in surface dressing in 2025 and the expansion of encapsulation, which means one in four surface-dressed roads are now protected with a double waterproofing layer.
These developments mark a turning point after more than a decade of decline in preventative treatments.
Local roads make up 98% of the UK’s network, yet many councils continue to spend disproportionately on reactive pothole repairs rather than planned, cost-effective maintenance. Surface dressing extends road life by 10–15 years, uses 75% less bitumen and 80% less aggregate, and delivers major carbon savings compared to resurfacing.
As part of the campaign, the REA has released a printable poster encouraging candidates to publicly show their support for preventative maintenance. Councillors and candidates are invited to take a photo with the poster and share it on social media, tagging the REA and its members. A collage of supporters will be published ahead of the pre‑election period.
The campaign calls on candidates to support three key commitments:
- Significantly increased investment in preventative road treatments
- Maintained long-term funding for local roads
- Clear, transparent preventative maintenance strategies
The launch follows the Government’s multi-year highways maintenance funding announcement, which the REA welcomed for providing greater certainty to councils.
