Draft business plan and budget proposals that would see an additional £20m of investment in road maintenance, were scrutinised and supported by a majority of Highways and Transport committee members – who today (Tuesday, 20 January) put forward their views for consideration by the Strategy, Resources and Performance committee on 29 January.
The Highways and Transport committee has a significant role in delivering highways maintenance, road safety, active travel and major infrastructure delivery. This is why, the council plans to prioritise:
- An additional £20m of capital investment is made for 2026/27. This reflects the Council’s commitment to record levels of spending on highways maintenance and would enable resurfacing, preventative treatments, and upgrades to bridges, footpaths and cycle routes. This would create a total investment of £58m for 26/27 as recommended by the draft asset management strategy. Due to the levels of funding invested in 2024/25 and 2025/26, the condition of the highway network has improved, the council has introduced a revised, evidence-led and prioritisation process for investment into maintenance. To maintain this, an annual investment of £58.2m is required.
Other proposals include:
- The development of a draft lane rental scheme to improve the management and co-ordination of streetworks, this will be subject to a consultation and decision-making process. This would allow us to charge companies for the time that roadworks occupy the highway and help us to reduce disruption on the county’s roads. This is currently planned for implementation in 2027/28.
- Proposed fee increases for streetworks. This would allow us to hold those responsible to account, driving up standards and reduce unnecessary disruption.
- Changes to the enforcement of car parking to include bank holidays, this will be subject to a consultation and decision-making process. This would make our enforcement more aligned and is something residents have been asking for.
At its meeting in December, members of the Strategy, Resources and Performance Committee began debating the draft business plan and budget. This plan has now been scrutinised by the Highways and Transport committee.
The feedback from all the council’s January policy and service committees, as well as feedback from our online public consultation and the views of Town and Parish Councils, other local and public authorities, business representatives and trade unions will be debated again by the Strategy, Resources and Performance committee when it meets at the end of January. This committee will then put forward the final draft business plan and budget for debate and decision at the Full Council meeting on 10 February.
Cambridgeshire County Council’s 2026-27 business plan and budget will identify where to spend £1.2billion to deliver services and support for residents and communities across the county.
Next year, there is a projected significant increase in costs due to a growing population and increasing demands – particularly in children’s and adults’ social care. Nearly two thirds of our spending goes towards social care, while other major areas of spending include Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), home to school transport, and highways maintenance.
For 2026/27, we have a remaining budget gap of £6.4million that we need to address. That means we must continue to make difficult choices about where we can generate additional income, as well as where we invest and where we make savings.
Cllr Alex Beckett, Chair of the Highways and Transport Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “We are making sure the council stays financially sustainable by taking a prudent, long-term approach to business and budget planning that is informed by our residents’ priorities, so we can keep investing in and prioritising core services.
“The increasing financial challenges also means we need to get the most out of every pound we spend whilst delivering services across the county.
“We’ve seen underinvestment in highways for too long and we know from our Quality of Life survey highway maintenance is important to our residents – this is why we want to put record amounts of investment into our network. Today, we’ve recommended this additional funding is to be invested into roads, paths, drainage, bridges, safety barriers, traffic lights, public rights of way and cycleways.
“Government has recognised it needs to respond to the SEND crisis nationally but has yet to share what that will mean for councils, schools or parents and carers. The lack of Government funding for these vital public services means that for 2026/27 the council will face a further £22 million in financial challenges than were identified in February 2025. That means further and even more difficult decisions about how to allocate resources and balance its budget will be required.
“We are committed to ensuring the council delivers value for money in the services it provides. That is why this committee supports the proposals today.”
The views of all policy and service committees, the views of residents, partners and business representatives, and the details from the Local Government Finance Settlement will be put before the Strategy, Resources & Performance Committee on 29 January so it can make a final recommendation on the business plan and budget to Full Council, which meets to debate and agree this plan on 10 February 2026.
More information on the council’s proposals for the coming year: Council considers next stage for the budget proposals and refreshed vision
You can read the papers from today’s committee meeting on our website, and rewatch the meeting on our YouTube channel.
