March 16th, 2026.



Green councillors aim to bring forward a motion to East Sussex County Council on March the 24th, calling for the county’s highways service to be brought back into public ownership and control by 2030.

Deteriorating roads, damaged footways and flooding problems are affecting residents across East Sussex, say Green councillors. Drivers are facing blown tyres, cyclists are forced into dangerous manoeuvres around potholes and communities are dealing with increased flooding issues caused by blocked drains and gullies.

The councillors argue that years of underinvestment and weak accountability under the current outsourcing model have also contributed to the decline in road conditions, with extreme weather linked to climate change, worsening the situation, and with no credible plan to deal with it.

“The contractor, Balfour Beatty, subcontracts work to other local contractors, which adds to the risk of poor repair, extra cost, and long accountability chain”, says Brett Wright, Green Party councillor for Eastbourne Meads, who is seconding the motion.

“This motion is about taking responsibility for a service that affects everyone,” says Georgia Taylor, deputy leader of the Green group on ESCC, who is proposing the motion.

“If highways were brought back into public hands, the council could reinvest money directly into maintaining our roads and responding faster to problems. Public money should be spent on delivering better services for residents and fair wages for local workers, not diverted into private shareholder profits."

Preventative maintenance such as drain repairs and gully clearance has been erratic and minimal, allowing water damage and erosion to accelerate deterioration across the network.

Green councillors say that bringing highways services back under direct council control would allow the authority to reinvest estimated annual profits of around £1.24 million into improving roads and infrastructure, rather than seeing that money leave the county through private contracts.

The proposal reflects a growing national trend towards insourcing public services. Upper-tier authorities, including Gloucestershire, Norfolk and Liverpool control, with these councils declaring a combined £20 million+ in savings so far.

Research from the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) suggests that insourcing can improve service quality by up to 75% while delivering better value for money.

The current highways contract with Balfour Beatty runs until May 2030. The multi-national company has an annual turnover of around £10 billion and profits of £289 million in 2024, which, Green councillors argue, means that highways maintenance in East Sussex represents only a small part of their wider operations, which include major infrastructure projects around the world.

In the 2026/27 financial year Balfour Beatty will be required to present a business case if it wishes to extend the contract for a further seven years. The Green councillors say the upcoming contract review provides an important opportunity for the council, or any future unitary authority, to explore new models for managing highways services before committing to another long-term outsourcing agreement.

The motion calls on the council to begin preparing for potential insourcing by adopting an “In-house by Default” approach, commissioning a feasibility study ahead of the contract’s expiry, and introducing a Public Interest Test for major contracts assessing financial transparency, social value and operational flexibility.

Supporters say direct council delivery could allow faster responses to potholes and extreme weather, improve accountability, and ensure that knowledge about the county’s road network remains within the public sector.


Pictured: Green Party East Sussex county councillors