The costs of street lighting, filling potholes and building new roads have soared by more than a fifth, causing pressure on stretched council budgets and delaying works.
New analysis by the LGA and the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) estimates that councils have faced a 37.5 per cent increase in the cost of running and repairing streetlights over the past six months.
A number of councils have seen a 22 per cent increase in the cost of repairing a pothole, relaying a road surface and other maintenance costs.
And councils’ capital budgets, which support the building of new roads and other local infrastructure, have had an estimated rise of 21 per cent, pushing up the cost of delivering investment in local areas.
Global issues are impacting on costs, with councils having to ration the supply of bitumen – a material used to repair roads – or find other sources of it. Prior to the war in Ukraine, an estimated 60 per cent of bitumen on the European market was sourced from Russia.
Increasing costs for electricity, steel, lighting and cement are also impacting council budgets, while some areas preparing for winter have been hit by a 60 per cent increase in the cost of salt.
Cllr David Renard, LGA Transport Spokesperson, said: “Councils are facing unprecedented increased costs to repair our local roads, keep our street lights switched on and invest in improved local infrastructure.
“To tackle this issue, the new Government must cover these increased costs for councils or risk the condition of roads getting worse or reductions in other services.
“Only with adequate long-term funding and the right powers, can councils deliver for our communities, tackle the climate emergency, and level up all parts of the country.”
