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Nottinghamshire County Council has released a report on its latest highways review and some key recommendations, following the Cabinet’s decision in June 2025 to reassess the management of the county’s road network.

The review comes at a time where the maintenance of highways is high on the agenda. Nationally, there is a £17 billion backlog in road repairs, with public concern over maintenance throughout the UK.

The challenges facing Nottinghamshire are no exception, with maintenance funding spread across the 2,760-mile highway network, including 96,000 streetlights, 369 bridges, 141,000 drainage assets, and over 45,000 highway trees.

In 2025, 77 miles of road repairs were completed, including 60 miles of surface dressing. These repairs form part of the £52 million in capital maintenance and £20 million in revenue funding the Council is investing in the network.

The review sets out plans to build on previous good practice, outlining recommendations across four themes: securing funding, managing assets, delivering services efficiently, and improving communications and community involvement.

When managing assets, prevention is better than cure, and there will be continued support for preventative treatments that stop potholes from forming, such as surface dressing. Where problems do occur, the Council will reduce the use of temporary repairs, instead expanding its “right repair, right first time” approach wherever possible and will use a ‘whole street’ repair model where possible to minimise disruption for residents and road users.

Funding remains critical. The East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) provided £44.7 million of Nottinghamshire’s £52.4 million highways capital funding in 2025–26. The Council is working with EMCCA to secure multi-year funding for improved planning and delivery.

There was strong support of the Council’s delivery model through partner Via East Midlands. Via continues to exceed performance targets, while bringing additional benefits to the County through its focus on local supply chains, local spend and social value. Through innovation, Via has doubled patching output per gang and also created efficiencies through investment in AI-supported asset management technology. A £4.68 million depot upgrade is underway to boost staff welfare and operational resilience.

The review calls for more localised updates, a customer-friendly Highways Plan, and a new Customer Service Strategy to improve the experience of residents and road users in the county. This builds on previous communications improvements including the MyNotts app, explainer videos, and QR code feedback.

Community-led schemes like the Lengthsman Programme and Traffic Management Revenue Programme are praised, with recommendations for expansion and increased funding.

Councillor Bert Bingham, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said: “This review has highlighted that we have made a good start on highways with good levels of resurfacing being delivered in 2025

“The outcomes and recommendations from this review will continue to build on past work and strengthening our relationship with EMCCA to secure future funding.

“We have a large highway network in Nottinghamshire, and it is about more than just our roads and pavements. There are a vast number of assets we need to manage, maintain and improve, and as you can see nationally, there is a significant backlog in road repairs.

“Through the review, we hope to continue making improvements, keep our residents and road users informed, and make a real difference in our communities. We know there is more to do we are focussed on making a real difference to our communities.

“The Cabinet Member Working Group will meet quarterly to oversee delivery.”

You can read the full report at our democratic services pages