The Road Emulsion Association (REA) has launched its local elections 2026 cross-party campaign, urging all candidates across England, Scotland and Wales to commit to a long-term, preventative approach to maintaining the UK’s local road network.
As part of this, the REA is championing the environmental, economic and social benefits for all road users, which can be realised through more preventative roads maintenance.
The campaign builds on a year of significant progress in the sector, including a 15% rise in surface dressing in 2025 and the expansion of encapsulation, which means one in four surface-dressed roads are now protected with a double waterproofing layer.
These developments mark a turning point after more than a decade of decline in preventative treatments.
Local roads make up 98% of the UK’s network, yet many councils continue to spend disproportionately on reactive pothole repairs rather than planned, cost-effective maintenance. Surface dressing extends road life by 10–15 years, uses 75% less bitumen and 80% less aggregate, and delivers major carbon savings compared to resurfacing.
As part of the campaign, the REA has released a printable poster encouraging candidates to publicly show their support for preventative maintenance. Councillors and candidates are invited to take a photo with the poster and share it on social media, tagging the REA and its members. A collage of supporters will be published ahead of the pre‑election period.
The campaign calls on candidates to support three key commitments:
- Significantly increased investment in preventative road treatments
- Maintained long-term funding for local roads
- Clear, transparent preventative maintenance strategies
The launch follows the Government’s multi-year highways maintenance funding announcement, which the REA welcomed for providing greater certainty to councils.
With new annual reporting requirements on pothole funding, which came into force from June 2025, the REA is encouraging candidates to use this moment to prioritise planned maintenance over short-term fixes.
Kevin Maw, REA consultant and secretary, said: “We are seeing real momentum behind preventative maintenance, but there is still a long way to go. Councils that invest in surface dressing and encapsulation are already seeing fewer potholes, stronger networks and better long-term value.
“Our message to candidates is simple: prevention works, and communities deserve roads that are resilient, safe and built to last.”
Simon Williams, RAC head of policy, said: “Preventing potholes forming in the first place is the key to improving our roads in the long term. The plague of potholes we’re now suffering is down to years of doing the wrong thing: focussing on filling potholes without then sealing surfaces to the damaging effects of the elements.
“We’re hopeful we’ll begin to break that cycle this year with councils being given record amounts to maintain their roads properly, a commitment to five-year funding blocks and a much-needed top-down focus on preventative maintenance.”
The REA Local Elections 2026 campaign will run from February to late March, ahead of the pre-election period. Weekly updates, data insights and sector commentary will be published on the REA LinkedIn page.
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