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<p>Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980
to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific
standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to
assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied,
based upon their local knowledge, needs, and circumstances. The Government has no
powers to override local decisions in these matters.</p><p> </p><p>By working with
the UK Roads Leadership Group and other sector bodies, the Department for Transport
encourages local highway authorities to be innovative by, for example, using different
materials or new machinery; or by developing new ways of working. The Department engages
regularly with local authorities to discuss and disseminate the results of trials
of this sort and supports innovation in other ways including through the ADEPT Live
Labs programme that is funded by the Department.</p><p> </p><p>In terms of wider pothole
prevention, a Lane Rental Scheme (LRS) is a tool to help highway authorities reduce
the impact of works taking place on the busiest roads at the busiest times – those
are likely to include key junctions and other pinch-points, plus the busiest and most
congested stretches of road. Under an LRS, utility companies (and others undertaking
Street works) working on such roads at peak times are required to pay a daily charge
to the local highway authority for the duration of their works.</p><p> </p><p>The
charges paid to the local authority responsible for the scheme may be used to pay
the costs for running the scheme, with any surplus monies raised to be spent in ways
for purposes intended to reduce the disruption or other adverse effects arising because
of works, including road defects created by utility companies.</p><p> </p>
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