Local highways maintenance transparency report 2026 - Our highway network
What we are responsible for maintaining?
Bromley is responsible for maintaining 916km (570 miles) of public highways. Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, LBB has a statutory duty to maintain this public highway network, ensuring it supports the safe movement of people and goods across the borough. The public highway network is not limited to carriageways (roads) alone but also includes additional asset types such as footways, verges, street lighting, drainage and highway structures.
| Asset | Amount |
|---|---|
| Carriageways (roads) | 916km (570 miles) |
| Cycleways (segregated) | 150km (93 miles) |
| Drainage gullies | 34,934 |
| Footways (pavements) | 1,424.8km (885 miles) |
| Street lighting columns | 27,622 |
| Highway structures | 290 |
Key challenges
Maintaining this public highway network presents Bromley with a number of challenges, including:
- Ageing Assets: Much of Bromley’s highway network predates modern design standards and now requires increasing maintenance to remain safe and serviceable.
- Size and Usage: Heavy use by buses, freight coming off major routes such as the M25 and A21 and general traffic accelerates deterioration.
- Third Party Works: Utility works and private developments create programme and traffic management challenges, while frequent excavations and heavy vehicle movements accelerate asset deterioration.
- Climate: Recent extreme weather events (e.g. rainfall and heat) accelerate asset deterioration, particularly where assets were not designed to withstand such conditions.
- Funding: Budget constraints and inflation limit the volume of maintenance that can be delivered.
What are we doing about potholes and other road defects?
What is a pothole?
Bromley defines a pothole as a depression or void in the road surface of up to 1m2 that poses a risk to road users. They typically form due to water ingress, freeze-thaw cycles and repeated traffic loading which cause failures and loss of material in the road surface. Potholes which meet our investigatory thresholds are risk assessed to determine appropriate actions and schedule repairs.
How are we tackling potholes?
In 2025/26, Bromley estimates that it repaired 2,485 potholes across its public highways through a combination of reactive and planned maintenance activities.
How can the public report potholes or defects?
Members of the public can report potholes and other highway safety defects in Bromley by:
- Submitting an online report via the Fix my street website
- Downloading and reporting via our Fix my street app
- Calling our emergency out of hours service on 0300 303 8671
What happens after a pothole is reported?
Reports of potholes and other highway defects are logged in the Council’s asset management system and reviewed to confirm whether they affect Council-maintained highway. An initial desktop assessment considers the defect’s severity, location and extent, determining the priority and timescale for site investigation and remedial action.
| Urgent [Category 1] | Investigated within 2 hours and repaired / made safe. |
|---|---|
| Non-Urgent [Category 2] | Investigated, risk assessed and resolved within 35 days. |
Where appropriate, a highway inspector visits the site and completes a risk assessment using the approach outlined above. Issues outside the Council’s responsibility are referred to the relevant organisation. Residents can track reported issues through the Council’s reporting system.
What we spend to maintain the highway network and where the funding is coming from?
How much do we spend on highways maintenance?
We currently spend a total of £9.158m on maintaining our public highways – a breakdown of how this is spent is provided below.
| Asset Type | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2026/27 (Projected) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carriageways | £4,148,000 | £5,328,000 | £6,693,000 |
| Footways | £1,420,000 | £1,520,000 | £1,820,000 |
| Structures | £80,000 | £80,000 | £80,000 |
| Drainage | £400,000 | £400,000 | £400,000 |
| Street Lighting | £1,550,000 | £1,600,000 | £1,600,000 |
| Other Assets | £170,000 | £230,000 | £200,000 |
| Total Spend | £7,768,000 | £9,158,000 | £10,793,000 |
Highways maintenance funding is projected to increase between 2025/26 and 2026/27, with the largest uplift directed towards carriageway maintenance (+26%), while footway investment also rises (+20%). Overall highways maintenance expenditure is forecast to increase from £9.16 million to £10.79 million, representing an 18% increase in investment.
Where does our funding come from?
| Asset Type | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2026/27 (Projected) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DfT Funding | £455,000 | £1,479,000 | £3,573,000 |
| Council/Third Party | £7,313,000 | £7,679,000 | £7,220,000 |
| Total Funding | £7,768,000 | £9,158,000 | £10,793,000 |
Bromley's highways maintenance activities are funded through a combination of central government grant and locally allocated council funding. Capital funding from the DfT highways maintenance block grant, allocated directly to local highway authorities, contributes a significant amount to the total Council funding. Since 2025/26, this funding has increased significantly as part of the Government's commitment to record levels of highways maintenance investment, with allocations confirmed through to 2029/30. Bromley will receive up to £16.23m over the next 3 years, £10.18m guaranteed, and an additional £6.05m incentive funding, subject to meeting certain criteria. This provides Bromley with greater funding certainty, shifting focus from reactive-focused regimes to long-term, planned and preventative maintenance.