Debate on Tuesday, 17 March 2026, in the House of Commons, led by Stuart Anderson. The answering member was Lilian Greenwood.

Rural Roads

Motion that this House has considered the condition of roads in rural areas. Agreed to on question.

Secondary information

Type: Parliamentary proceeding
Reference: 782 cc294-312WH
Session: 2024-26
Department: Department for Transport
Chamber / Committee: Westminster Hall
Related items: Condition of roads in rural areas
Monday, 16 March 2026
Research briefings
Proceeding contributions: Graham Stringer | 782 c294WH (Link to this contribution)
Can hon. Members leave quietly, please? We wish to start the debate.
4.31 pm; Stuart Anderson | 782 cc294-1WH (Link to this contribution)
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the condition of roads in rural areas.
...; Jim Shannon | 782 c291WH (Link to this contribution)
I commend the hon. Gentleman. I spoke to him beforehand about this issue. Insurance claims due to...; Stuart Anderson | 782 cc291-2WH (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Member raises a very good point. I will come on to the preventive measures and what can ...; John Lamont | 782 c295WH (Link to this contribution)
I want to highlight the fact that in Scotland we have a particular challenge. Scottish Borders co...; Stuart Anderson | 782 c295WH (Link to this contribution)
I do. My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. There is more money being spent by councils than i...; Peter Fortune | 782 c294WH (Link to this contribution)
As my hon. Friend knows, he is also the Member of Parliament for my mother-in-law, so I congratul...; Stuart Anderson | 782 c294WH (Link to this contribution)
We see that across South Shropshire. My hon. Friend’s mother-in-law is a lovely lady and I was de...; Matt Rodda | 782 c294WH (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing today’s important debate; thousands of residents around t...; Stuart Anderson | 782 cc294-6WH (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman makes an excellent point. There is not one specific issue here; there are mult...; Jess Brown-Fuller | 782 c296WH (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his impassioned speech about the state of our roads. I was recentl...; Stuart Anderson | 782 cc296-7WH (Link to this contribution)
I do. The hon. Member raises a really good point. This is not just about a pothole in the road; i...; Helen Maguire | 782 c297WH (Link to this contribution)
I am very glad that the hon. Member was able to provide support to his constituent in that really...; Stuart Anderson | 782 cc297-8WH (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Member for raising an important point. Between us, we are starting to see that w...; Joy Morrissey | 782 c298WH (Link to this contribution)
Not only have we lost all that funding for rural roads in places such as Beaconsfield, Marlow and...; Stuart Anderson | 782 c296WH (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for raising that excellent point. We have to look at rural counties, which...; Helen Morgan | 782 c296WH (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. Member give way on that point?; Stuart Anderson | 782 c297WH (Link to this contribution)
Yes—I thought the hon. Lady might want me to.; Helen Morgan | 782 c297WH (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Member is making what is generally a good speech about rural funding, so it is a shame t...; Stuart Anderson | 782 c299WH (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Member raises an important point—which I thought she might raise when I mentioned the lo...; Graham Stringer | 782 c299WH (Link to this contribution)
Order. The hon. Gentleman has secured a debate that has attracted a lot of attention—I have 16 Me...; Stuart Anderson | 782 c299WH (Link to this contribution)
Thank you, Mr Stringer; you raise a brilliant point.
Before I conclude, I would like the Mi...; 782 c299WH (Link to this contribution); Graham Stringer | 782 cc299-300WH (Link to this contribution)
Order. I am going to put a one-minute limit on speeches. If there are interventions, some people ...; Rachel Hopkins | 782 c300WH (Link to this contribution)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for South Sh...; Katie Lam | 782 c300WH (Link to this contribution)
It is always a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Stringer. I thank my hon. Friend the M...; Sean Woodcock | 782 cc300-1WH (Link to this contribution)
For residents of north Oxfordshire, simple tasks such as driving to work or doing the weekly shop...; Brian Mathew | 782 cc301-0WH (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Member for South Shropshire (Stuart Anderson) for this debate.
One particu...; Lee Pitcher | 782 c300WH (Link to this contribution)
My asks to the Minister on rural roads are clear. First, will she ensure that funding frameworks ...; Robbie Moore | 782 cc300-2WH (Link to this contribution)
It is frustrating, yet sadly not surprising, that roads across Keighley and Ilkley are facing so ...; Anna Sabine | 782 cc302-1WH (Link to this contribution)
As the MP for Frome and East Somerset, I represent a semi-rural constituency and regularly drive ...; Steve Yemm | 782 c301WH (Link to this contribution)
Responsibility for maintaining roads in my area sits with the Reform-led Notts county council. It...; Kieran Mullan | 782 cc301-2WH (Link to this contribution)
I cannot possibly do justice to the frustration of my residents about their local roads in one mi...; Roz Savage | 782 c302WH (Link to this contribution)
Potholes are dangerous, they are expensive to fix, and they are everywhere. In the South Cotswold...; Chris Hinchliff | 782 c302WH (Link to this contribution)
I guessed that others would raise the issue of potholes and poor safety today, so I want to make ...; Jamie Stone | 782 cc304-3WH (Link to this contribution)
A few days ago, I had a clinic in Ord bay, and a gentleman came to see me about the state of the ...; Helen Morgan | 782 c303WH (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Member for South Shropshire (Stuart Anderson) is right to point out that the roads in Sh...; Pippa Heylings | 782 cc303-4WH (Link to this contribution)
Potholes are not just an inconvenience for my constituents; they are a costly safety risk that ca...; Tim Farron | 782 c305WH (Link to this contribution)
Westmorland and Furness council has seen its budget cut by 31%. We are England’s largest and most...; Gideon Amos | 782 c305WH (Link to this contribution)
I congratulate the hon. Member for South Shropshire (Stuart Anderson) on securing this debate. Th...; John Milne | 782 c305WH (Link to this contribution)
In the last 20 years, traffic on locally managed major roads has fallen by around 5%, yet damage ...; Olly Glover | 782 cc306-7WH (Link to this contribution)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for South Sh...; Rebecca Paul | 782 c307WH (Link to this contribution)
A key point to make is that potholes are often a symptom that roads have not been resurfaced at t...; Graham Stringer | 782 c307WH (Link to this contribution)
Order. I noticed that the hon. Lady arrived very late to the debate. It is not allowed, particula...; Olly Glover | 782 cc306-7WH (Link to this contribution)
Councils certainly can do more to better spend the community infrastructure levy, but that partly...; Greg Smith | 782 cc307-9WH (Link to this contribution)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I congratulate my hon. Friend the...; Graham Stringer | 782 c309WH (Link to this contribution)
Minister, if you could, please leave a minute or so at the end of your contribution for the Membe...; Lilian Greenwood | 782 c309WH (Link to this contribution)
I shall attempt to do that. It is a pleasure to serve, with you in the Chair, Mr Stringer. I cong...; Stuart Anderson | 782 c309WH (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Lilian Greenwood | 782 c309WH (Link to this contribution)
Let me make a bit more progress and then I will, of course, come back to the hon. Member.
W...; Kieran Mullan | 782 c309WH (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Lilian Greenwood | 782 cc309-310WH (Link to this contribution)
I will not just now. I am going to make some progress.
There is no question but that severe...; Kieran Mullan | 782 c310WH (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way on that point?; Lilian Greenwood | 782 c310WH (Link to this contribution)
Not right now.
Rural residents are all too familiar with the reality, which is why this Gov...; Sean Woodcock | 782 c310WH (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Lilian Greenwood | 782 c310WH (Link to this contribution)
Of course I will.; Sean Woodcock | 782 c310WH (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the Minister for outlining the steps the Government are taking to make up for th...; Lilian Greenwood | 782 c310WH (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is right to raise his concerns. It is of course the case that, where local authori...; Kieran Mullan | 782 c310WH (Link to this contribution)
Does the Minister accept that the changes to the funding formula have made rural areas worse off—...; Lilian Greenwood | 782 c310WH (Link to this contribution)
The funding formula for local roads maintenance has not changed under this Government, and all lo...; Matt Rodda | 782 c310WH (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Lilian Greenwood | 782 cc310-2WH (Link to this contribution)
Not right now. The Transport Committee in the previous Parliament specifically asked for that cha...; Stuart Anderson | 782 c312WH (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Minister for winding up, and I want to respond to two of the points she made. We talk...; Lilian Greenwood | 782 c312WH (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. Member give way?; Stuart Anderson | 782 c312WH (Link to this contribution)
I would, but I do not have the time, so I will talk to the Minister afterwards. I invite her to S...
Subjects: Expenditure Local government finance Roads Rural areas Repairs and maintenance
Link: View this Parliamentary proceeding on hansard.parliament.uk

Rural Roads

Secondary information

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