Lancashire was given extra funding to sort potholes - so why can't people see progress?

Reform UK campaigned hard on sorting out Lancashire's roads - but critics say progress has not been made

Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.

The biggest issue for voters - certainly in terms of issues local authorities can impact - is potholes. Whether you’re a journalist trying to cover the details of local politics or just in the pub for a pint, it’s the issue that always comes up.

It’s also one of the issues that people get mixed up on occasion - ask Preston City Council how often they deal with complaints about potholes despite not being responsible for the roads.

Reform UK campaigned hard on the issue - including circulating leaflets with the vow to ‘fill every pothole’. That was never likely, but there are now doubts as to whether progress is being made at all.

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Lancashire briefing

🍴 The owners of a Lancaster restaurant could lose their premises licence over allegations they used illegal foreign workers then failed to pay thousands in penalties for the breaches. People linked to Bangladesh have been found working illegally at the Bombay Balti in China Street in various visits by Home Office immigration inspectors since 2015. And officials say more than £75,000 remains unpaid from a total £85,000 in civil penalties owed by companies which have owned the restaurant over time. Home Office officials want councillors to revoke the premises licence, saying other measures, such as additional conditions or a suspension, would not be enough to act as a deterrent to the licence holder and other businesses. However, a man named as the restaurant’s premises licence holder says circumstances have changed and many issues have been tackled.

🚗 New car parking charges in Ormskirk – and the introduction of free 30-minute slots – will help shops, residents and visitors alike, councillors have said. Creating more short‑stay options in the town centre, improving the turnover of cars there and generating cash for car park maintenance are key priorities, West Lancashire Council has said. The changes were backed at the council’s latest full meeting, which also agreed the new budget. The car parks affected are at Ormskirk bus station , Lunesdale , Market Way , Park Pool , Park Road , Hants Lane , Hutton Way , The Stiles , Wheatsheaf  and Derby Street . Under the changes, 30 minutes of free parking will be offered at Park Road and Wheatsheaf. And a new stepped hourly tariff has been agreed, starting at £1 for one hour and rising to £3 for up to five hours. All-day rates will be £3 at Hants Lane and £4 for Hutton Way and The Stiles. Charging hours will begin at 8am, rather than 8.30am currently, and finish at 6pm on Mondays to Saturdays. There will be no evening or Sunday charges. Long-term parking permits will also be updated, including monthly and quarterly payment options. And a mobile phone app will be offered in addition to cash and card payments.

🚲 Details of a long-planned cycle path to run along the edge of Preston city centre have been published. The two-way route was first suggested almost four years ago as part of a bid by Preston City Council for cash from the government’s Levelling Up Fund. The ultimately successful pitch proposed creating a 700-metre facility – segregated from both vehicles and pedestrians – on the southern side of Queen Street and Avenham Lane, within what is currently a grass verge. As the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed late last year, work on the £1.5m scheme – which aims to better connect the railway station in the west and places of education like Cardinal Newman College in the east – is due to begin this summer. Now, Lancashire County Council, as the highway’s authority, has set out the specifics of the project – and is asking for the public’s thoughts. The proposals can be viewed here.

Lancashire was given extra funding to sort potholes - so why can’t people see progress?

Pothole in Oxford Street in Frenchwood, Preston Pic: Kelvin Stuttard/Iconic Media

By Luke Beardsworth

Reform UK is under increasing pressure to get a grip of Lancashire’s growing pothole issue.

A Labour MP in Lancashire has joined calls for the authority to make noticeable progress on an issue which the relevant cabinet member is attributing to the weather since the Christmas period.

Jonathan Hinder, MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, has written to Cllr Stephen Atkinson, Reform UK’s leader at Lancashire County Council, expressing his concern that the extra cash made available by the government is not being used effectively.

He wrote: “I am writing to express my grave concern - and the growing frustration of my constituents - regarding the deteriorating condition of roads across Pendle and Clitheroe. Despite record levels of central government funding, the quality of our highways remains unacceptable.

“In 2024, the government inherited a crumbling road network. I strongly supported the Labour government in providing £46 million for Lancashire road repairs in 2025/26, a roughly 50% increase. However, despite having much-improved financial resources at your disposal, the Reform-run County Council is failing to deliver.

“My constituents report potholes forming within weeks of repair, leaving major routes unsafe and local families to foot the bill for vehicle damage. As the Member of Parliament for Pendle and Clitheroe, I am very concerned that this record investment is not being used effectively. Residents have been incredibly patient, but this patience is wearing thin.”

His sentiments echo those shared by opposition leaders at last week’s budget meeting where potholes were the primary issue they used to scrutinise the performance at County Hall.

Azhar Ali, leader of the Progressive Lancashire official opposition – a coalition of independents and the Green Party – said of the current condition of Lancashire’s roads that residents were “sick and tired of replacing their damaged suspension [and getting] punctures [and] ripped tyres”.

“[They] see shoddy workmanship, they see potholes turn into craters and they say ‘enough is enough’. The administration had enough money from the government to make a difference, but all we’ve had is excuses and spin,” Cllr Ali said.

Several proposed opposition amendments to the budget suggested a boost to road repair funding, over and above that included in Reform’s plans.

The Liberal Democrats slated an extra £5m over the next 12 months, while the Conservatives put forward £3.5m this year and £1.5m the next.

All of these amendments were voted down by Reform UK.

Potholes on Church Road in Leyland. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard/Iconic

Cabinet member for highways and transport Warren Goldsworthy acknowledged that “the roads are in a terrible state and have been since Christmas” – and apologised.

“I get [that] it’s a stick to beat [us] with, but…the last 6-8 weeks have done terrible damage – and we will get on top of it,” Cllr Goldsworthy said.

“[But] the maintenance backlog across our entire network …is £650m. We did get £20m last year off central government, but…I’m tired of being told, ‘You’ve got [an extra] £20m, fix the rest of the roads’ – because it just doesn’t work, it’s for the birds.

“I accept the roads have had a terrible time in the last eight weeks – we’ll get on top of that and by the end of this year [they] will be in an even better state. Can you imagine where we’d be right now if we weren’t nearly 50,000 potholes [better off] at the end of last year?”

All of which comes against a backdrop in which Reform UK campaigned heavily on potholes before they took control of Lancashire County Council last May.