SHIMPAC® –  Government Pothole Funding Crackdown: Smarter Spending Starts with Smarter Solutions

The Government’s announcement on 14 April sent a clear message to councils across the UK – pothole funding must deliver visible, measurable results, or future allocations could be at risk.

Under the new rules, local authorities that fail to demonstrate effective road maintenance may lose up to a third of next year’s highways funding, as ministers push for greater accountability and better outcomes for road users.

For local authorities already balancing rising costs, aging assets and public pressure over road conditions, this creates a significant challenge. Budgets are under scrutiny, expectations are rising, and every pound spent must now work harder than ever before.

SHIMPAC® believes this shift in focus presents a real opportunity, because long term pothole reduction does not come from repeated reactive patching. It comes from tackling root causes.

One of the most overlooked contributors to potholes is ironwork failure.

Around 20% of potholes are linked to defective ironwork or ironwork seating, where movement, poor alignment and water ingress begin the cycle of deterioration. Covers and frames that are not properly supported create weak points in the carriageway, allowing water to penetrate the surface and accelerate failure, particularly during freeze thaw conditions and under modern traffic loading.

That means one fifth of the pothole problem can be directly addressed with better engineering.

Tackling the 20%

This is where SHIMPAC® provides a proven solution.

The fully engineered ironwork seating and levelling system is designed to eliminate movement, deliver millimetre precision alignment, and create maximum durability under shear and compression forces. By ensuring ironwork sits correctly and remains stable, SHIMPAC® helps remove one of the most common triggers of pothole formation before it develops.

For local authorities, the benefits are immediate and long term.

In the short term, SHIMPAC® protects budgets through faster installation times, lower labour requirements and reduced disruption. Works can be completed quickly and efficiently, helping councils deliver more repairs within existing funding envelopes.

In the long term, SHIMPAC® protects budgets by reducing repeat visits, emergency call outs and the endless cycle of patching the same failing locations. Instead of returning to the same defect 12 months later, authorities can redirect resources to wider network improvements, preventative maintenance and other frontline priorities.

Barry Andrews, SHIMPAC® Operations Manager,  told us:

“At a time when councils are being asked to prove value for money, durability matters. Prevention matters. Whole life cost matters.

“If the Government wants better roads and taxpayers want better value, then addressing the 20% of potholes caused by ironwork defects is an obvious, quick, and extremely cost-effective way to start.”