Labour exposes England's pothole crisis with damning new data - how does your council rank?

Felix Reeves

By Felix Reeves,

Published: 11/01/2026

- 06:00

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Motorists around England can now judge how well their local council is taking care of the roads after the Government published new data about pothole repairs.

A new traffic light system has been introduced to assess local highway authorities across England on how effectively they have repaired potholes.

In total, 154 local highway authorities have been graded red, amber and green based on the condition of the roads as Labour pushes councils to improve the state of roads.

The Government has pledged a record £7.3billion in funding to help local authorities fix potholes and maintain roads.

The ratings are based on the condition of local roads, the amount spent on road repairs, and whether they are following best practices in maintaining highways.

Several notable authorities were awarded a "green" rating, including Leeds, Sandwell and Manchester, demonstrating that they were investing in long-term preventative measures.

The vast majority of authorities were ranked in the "amber" category, which showed that they were working towards achieving some of the key measures set out by the Government.

In addition to preventative techniques, authorities should also maintain good road conditions and invest significantly in road improvements.

Potholes on UK roads

Drivers can now see how well their local highway authorities have been filling potholes and fixing roads

| PA/GETTY

Of the 154 local authorities, 13 were ranked as "red", including Bolton, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, North Lincolnshire and Suffolk.

These local highway authorities were ranked as "not yet meeting the expected standards", including the current state of the roads, future plans or investment into maintaining local roads.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "For too long, drivers have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate. I have heard time and again their frustration on footing the bill because they hit a pothole - money they should never have to spend in the first place.

"We've put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding for local highway authorities with £7.3billion to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have been asking for.

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Local highway authorities ranked by overall rating for roads maintenance

Local highway authorities ranked by overall rating for roads maintenance

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DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT

"Now it's over to them to spend the money wisely, and for the first time we are making sure the public can see how well councils are doing in delivering the improvements they want to see in their local area."

The Government has pledged a further £300,000 worth of expert planning and capability assistance to the local highways authorities ranked "red".

However, 25 per cent of annual funding was withheld until authorities published transparency reports, setting out their maintenance plans.

AA President Edmund King said 96 per cent of its members said fixing potholes was the "top transport demand". He welcomed the Government initiative to hold local highways authorities to account.

Simon Williams, RAC head of policy, said: "While there are examples of good road maintenance practice taking place, this isn't consistent across the country and means drivers have for too long been left with substandard roads.

"We hope this initiative, plus the promise of longer-term funding for councils to allow them to plan and carry out much-needed preventative maintenance, means we're finally on the way to having smoother, better roads."

Labour has extended the Live Labs 2 programme for another year, which will provide up to £300,000 to help councils with innovative and longer-lasting fixes.

Kerry Winstanley, managing director of Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG), added: "The release of the national ratings provides a clear opportunity to target support and strengthen the local road network where it is most needed."

Potholes on road

Labour has pledged billions of pounds for local authorities to repair roads and fill in potholes | KWIK FIT

Local highway authorities ranked by overall rating for roads maintenance

Red

Bedford
Bolton
Cumberland
Derbyshire
Greenwich
Kensington and Chelsea
Leicestershire
North Lincolnshire
Slough
Suffolk
Waltham Forest
West Northamptonshire
Westmorland and Furness

Amber

Green

Coventry
Darlington
Essex
Gloucestershire
Hillingdon
Leeds
Lewisham
Manchester
Middlesbrough
Portsmouth
Rotherham
Sandwell
West Berkshire
Wigan
Wiltshire
Worcestershire

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