Changes to this year's programme
The approved budgetary allocation for this period is now fully utilised. The delivery of some previously scheduled highway maintenance works will be rescheduled and the programme reviewed. Safety-critical activities and all statutory duties will continue to be delivered.
The way in which the Council prioritises highway works is set out in the Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Strategy 2025–2030. This strategy provides a structured, risk-based framework to ensure that resources are directed where they deliver the greatest public value.
Key principles that guide prioritisation include:
• Safety and statutory compliance – maintaining assets to safe standards in line with the Highways Act 1980 and related legislation.
• Resilient Network focus – ensuring that routes critical for emergency response, economic continuity, and community access receive priority investment and maintenance
• Network hierarchy – works are prioritised based on the function and importance of routes, from strategic and distributor roads through to local access roads
• Risk-based decision-making – resources are allocated by assessing both the likelihood and consequence of asset failure, ensuring safety and service continuity
• Whole-life asset planning – preventative maintenance is undertaken where it offers better long-term value than reactive repairs, minimising future liabilities
• Financial sustainability and transparency – investment decisions are evidence-led and communicated openly, ensuring that outcomes reflect both local priorities and national best practice.
By applying this approach, the Council can safeguard critical services, maintain public safety, and maximise value for money, even within constrained funding conditions. While some lower-priority, non-statutory works will pause, the most essential parts of the network will continue to be managed to appropriate standards.