Devon roads set for £3m boost after winter damage sparks major repair push

Devon’s roads are set to get a £3 million boost in a bid to help repair the significant damage inflicted on them by the torrid winter weather.

The unexpected cash will be diverted to the county’s highways instead of its original purpose of paying down a deficit linked to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

READ NEXT: Plymouth police appeal after early morning break-in at city hair salon

Devon County Council had struck an agreement with the government, known as Safety Valve, aimed at helping reduce the overspend in the SEND service.

That scheme involved the council receiving a £95 million government grant over eight years, with the authority required to contribute towards reducing the deficit.

But an overhaul in SEND funding nationally, which will see the government pay off 90 per cent of all councils’ overspends, means the council’s contribution is not currently needed.

A report prepared for the council’s cabinet stated the authority had secured agreement that it did not need to contribute to the SEND deficit as part of the Safety Valve programme.

“The planned £7.4 million contribution to the SEND deficit in 2025/26 is therefore no longer required and can instead be released to support the authority’s overall financial position,” it said.

“This release of funding has been reflected in the Month 10 financial position and is the main driver for the overall improved financial forecast.

“As stated, it is proposed that £3 million of this is transferred to highways to enable increased spending on reactive maintenance due to the severe weather being experienced.”

The extra funding comes shortly after the council agreed an additional £6 million for highways spending next financial year, on top of the £30 million being spent in the current financial year.

The investment will be needed given the sharp rise in potholes. 

Reports in February reached 9,700, around 90 per cent higher than the same period last year.

The change also improves the council’s overall finances for the 2025/26 financial year, which ends at the start of April.

It is now forecasting an underspend of more than £4 million, compared with the roughly £5 million overspend predicted just two months earlier.

However, the council’s SEND deficit is still rising and is expected to exceed £61 million for this financial year alone.

This would take the cumulative deficit to around £180 million, nearly £72 million more than projected at the same point when the council and government entered the Safety Valve agreement in March 2024.

Under the new national approach to SEND funding, councils are likely to have to cover the remaining 10 per cent of their SEND-related deficits, although it is not yet clear how this will be achieved.

Authorities may be required to budget for annual repayments or be allowed to borrow to cover the shortfall, but no firm guidance has yet emerged from Westminster.

After the 2027/28 financial year, the central government is expected to take over management of the schools budget, of which SEND funding is a part.