Motorists in Swindon are set to benefit from a major boost in funding aimed at tackling long-standing issues with the town’s roads.
Swindon Borough Council has been awarded nearly £30 million in government funding over four financial years, allowing it to plan a longer-term approach to highway maintenance.
The multi-year settlement will enable the Council to develop a four-year Highway Maintenance Programme to address an estimated £50 million backlog of road repairs across Swindon.
For the 2025/26 financial year, the Council has budgeted almost £6 million for road maintenance. This includes £170,000 specifically allocated for reactive pothole repairs.
If all grant allocations are confirmed, the highways maintenance budget is expected to increase by 45 per cent by 2029/30.
The confirmed funding, which runs until April 2030, means the Council can plan repair works further in advance rather than relying on short-term annual grants. This will sit alongside ongoing reactive maintenance.
Work is already underway to prepare a programme of repairs scheduled to begin early in the new year and continue throughout 2026.
Chris Watts, Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said:
“This is a game-changer when it comes to how we plan road repairs and start to get on top of the backlog. For many years the Council was allocated inadequate grants on an annual basis making it difficult to plan programmes and retain staff.
“The four-year allocation along with the substantial grant increase gives the Council every opportunity to rebuild its highways capability and move forward with confidence.
“Our estimated repair backlog of £50m has come from years of underfunding and we are finally moving in the right direction to put this right.
“While we don’t have the full details yet, this £30m will help us target roads that need the most work.
“It’s not an overnight fix, but I am confident that the roads in Swindon will be in a better position after the four-year programme. However, this money will allow us to build on the foundation we’ve have set in the last 12 months and make long-lasting change for Swindon’s road users.”
During 2025, the Council carried out more highways work than in 2024 following a £1.5 million funding uplift from central government at the start of the year.
This work included the repair of more than 8,000 potholes, the relining of 330 areas, repairs to 800 pieces of street furniture and resurfacing on ten major and minor roads. These included Drakes Way, Croft Road and Hay Lane.
Further details about the next programme of resurfacing works are expected to be announced in the new year.
