Oxfordshire County Council has scheduled 17.4 miles of road resurfacing for 2026/27, as the government announces the release of £220m in conditional road maintenance funding across England.
The local programme also includes 131.7 miles of surface treatments, according to the council’s 2026 highways maintenance transparency report. These are scheduled works, not a statement that all the repairs have been completed.
The Department for Transport says councils across the South East expect to complete more than 850 miles of resurfacing this year, over 10% more than last year. It puts the region’s road maintenance spending at more than £850m.
Those regional figures should not be confused with Oxfordshire’s own programme. The announcement does not identify how much of the £220m England-wide release will go to the county.
Funding tied to council performance
According to the department, the £220m has been unlocked after councils met performance-based requirements. Further funding will depend on authorities meeting their targets and can be withheld if they fail to do so.
The wider £7.3bn government maintenance settlement covers England’s local roads over four financial years, from 2026/27 to 2029/30. It is not an annual allocation or money solely for the South East.
The department says all South East councils plan preventative roadworks this year, compared with 76% last year. Such work aims to address deterioration before roads need repeated emergency patching.
Local road conditions still need attention
Oxfordshire’s report records approximately 41,000 potholes repaired in 2025/26. Its condition tables put 9% of B and C roads in the red category in 2025, up from 8% in 2024. Red means a road should be considered for maintenance.
That provides a local measure against which to assess the government’s claims of progress. Planned spending and resurfacing totals alone do not establish whether individual roads have improved.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams welcomed the figures in the department’s statement but said the test would be what road users experience.
“The proof, of course, will be in whether drivers and other road users notice the difference. Getting the country’s roads up to a decent standard, and keeping them there, isn’t an overnight job. But at least we’re now on the right track.”
Check works near you and report potholes
Residents can search the council’s highway maintenance map, which includes planned and completed schemes.
Potholes can be reported through FixMyStreet. The council asks people to telephone 0345 310 1111 if there is an imminent safety risk.
