UK DfT

£3M Boost Enables Bus Franchising for 6 Authorities

The UK Department for Transport announced £3 million in funding to help 6 mayoral authorities establish bus franchising schemes. The funding recipients are Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, North East Combined Authority, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, West Midlands Combined Authority, and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. This builds on the Bee Network model in Greater Manchester, with over £3 billion allocated through the Local Authority Bus Grant between 2026 and 2029.

New Rules for Council Pothole Funding Spending in England

The UK Department for Transport announced new requirements for local councils in England on spending pothole repair funding. Councils must now prove they are spending highways funding purely on road maintenance or risk losing up to a third of their £1.6 billion funding. Approximately £525 million will be held back from councils across England unless they demonstrate transparency and good performance.

Reported Road Casualties Involving Illegal Alcohol Levels 2024

The Department for Transport has announced the release of provisional 2024 statistics on road casualties involving illegal alcohol levels in Great Britain, scheduled for July 2026. The statistics will cover drink-drive collisions and casualties reported during 2024. This is an advance notice of a statistical data release and does not create new regulatory obligations.

Structures Fund Grant Guidance for Local Highway Authorities

The UK Department for Transport has published guidance on applying for grant funding from the Structures Fund, which supports capital costs for repairing or replacing local highway structures. The guidance applies to local highway authorities in England and Transport for London. Applicants must complete pre-submission response forms, submission templates, and supplementary schemes forms, along with using the provided economic toolkit.

£1 Billion Structures Fund Opens for England's Bridges and Flyovers

The Department for Transport has opened a £1 billion Structures Fund for local authorities across England to repair bridges, flyovers, and tunnels. Applications opened 15 April 2026, with draft submissions due 19 June 2026 for early feedback and final applications accepted until 3 August 2026. Funding decisions will be announced in Autumn 2026, and all successful schemes must be completed by March 2030.