This post is a catch-up on events in March and April this year, related to the Mayoral Transport Fund (MTF).
At a meeting on 27th March 2026, the Mayor’s proposals for distributing the Mayoral Transport Fund were passed.
The MTF is the main transport funding for the region and the two councils, North Yorkshire Council (NYC) and City of York Council (CYC).
It amounts to £456 million over four years.
There are three main elements to the capital funding:
- highway maintenance
- minor works and
- Significant Improvement Schemes
Highway Maintenance
Most of the highway maintenance funding goes to the two councils.
Previously, the ratio of funding NYC:CYC based on network length was 92.7:7.3. Now it is proposed that the split should be 90:10 (para 4.5).
10% of highway maintenance funding is to go to the Mayor’s Road Maintenance Fund (MRMF) for regional network maintenance, for example of the Key Route Network.
This means £20.46 million less for NYC over a four-year period as compared to the baseline funding for highway maintenance included by the DfT in the Mayoral Transport Fund (4.7).
Including the MRMF element, this is nevertheless an increase on NYC’s highway maintenance funding for the previous year.
NYC has launched a judicial review of the decision, on the basis that there were legal errors in the decision. NYC Leader Carl Les says that this is a budgetary matter, and therefore the decision required unanimity.
Minor Works
Minor works funding can pay for small schemes (less than £100,000) such as dropped kerbs and new crossings (4.12).
Significant Schemes
Significant Schemes are over £100,000, and can range from modest projects to large corridor and place-making schemes.
They are to be guided by a Local Transport Delivery Plan, a draft outline of which was submitted to the DfT in March 2026. A detailed version is expected in September.
‘The Local Transport Delivery Plan submitted to the DfT will focus on strategic priorities and key modal categories informed by YNYCA and the Mayor’s ambitions for the region’. (4.18)
The Schemes will also be influenced by the Strategic Transport Framework and Local Transport Plan.
The Significant Schemes are to be developed with NYC and CYC over a few months – some for delivery in 2026/27, and others part of a longer-term programme to 2029/30 (4.19).
They will need to demonstrate Value for Money (4.21).
The amounts in Table 4 specifically for active travel are modest, but there could be active travel elements in safer roads and traffic management, and in integrated corridor and place schemes.
YNYCA says that Significant Schemes will include enhancing access to bus and rail stations and improving key transport corridors. This ‘transformational funding pot’ is unlikely to be for motor vehicle-only schemes, and will include improvements for other modes.
Next Steps
The next steps should have been to confirm the outline Local Transport Delivery Plan with the DfT, and work on detailed allocations for Significant Improvement Schemes.
However, the transport funding has had to be paused while NYC’s application for judicial review is resolved.