Comments from RAC head of policy Simon
£500m for local roads
“This is positive news for drivers as it should enable
cash-strapped local authorities to begin the process of improving
the quality of their roads.
“But it's vital councils don't just use the money to fill
potholes as this is unlikely to deliver the long-term benefit
drivers so badly want to see. We believe greater use of
preventative maintenance is essential. Surface dressing roads at
regular intervals is a proven, cost-effective way of ensuring
potholes don't appear in the first place, along with resurfacing
the worst affected roads.”
Fuel duty freeze
“Drivers will breathe an enormous sigh of relief after all the
speculation that the 5p cut would be scrapped at the same time as
pushing duty up beyond the long-term rate of 57.95p.
“It's good to see the Government firmly recognising the
importance of the car to millions of households up and down the
country. Eight-in-10 drivers tell us they are dependent on their
vehicles for the journeys they need to make, while 70% of
commuters who live in rural areas have no other feasible
alternatives to get to work beyond taking the car.
“It's also worth remembering that even as of today 56% of the
total price of a litre of petrol is already tax in the form of
fuel duty, and the VAT that is charged on top.”
Pump Watch fuel price scheme by end of 2025
“It's fantastic to see the Government has now said it will
introduce the Pumpwatch scheme and fuel price monitoring function
by the end of next year as this is something we've long been
calling for. This will help drivers get a fairer deal every time
they fill up by enabling them to find the cheapest fuel near them
and ensuring significant reductions in wholesale fuel prices are
passed on to customers at the pumps.”
From the Budget document:
The government will also facilitate competition in the road
fuels market, improve transparency and empower drivers to find
the cheapest fuel prices by accepting the Competition and Markets
Authority's recommendations to implement Fuel Finder, an open
data scheme for fuel prices and a market monitoring function by
the end of 2025. While fuel price reactions are inevitably
uncertain and sensitive to wider global factors, by increasing
transparency and encouraging competition between forecourts,
scenario modelling by the government suggests pump prices could
reduce by 1-6p per litre as a result of these measures, helping
to ensure that drivers get a fair deal for fuel across the
UK
