How well is your local council doing in fixing potholes? Find out...
Fri, 16 Jan 2026
The government has launched a new traffic light rating system to help motorists see how good their local council is at fixing potholes.
The new system is displayed on an interactive map and covers all 154 local highway authorities.
Councils are rated red, amber or green, based on the condition of roads in the area and how effectively they are spending the record £7.3bn invested by the government in fixing potholes and maintaining roads.
Ministers hope the new map will help highlight best practice and drive improved performance from underperforming councils, whose ‘red’ status is now displayed for the first time in a very public way.
"For too long, drivers have paid the price because of roads were left to deteriorate," says transport secretary Heidi Alexander. "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.
"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."
Red, amber and green ratings are based on three key areas – the condition of local roads, how much local highways authorities are spending on road repairs and whether they are following best practice in maintaining highways.
‘Green’ areas, such as Leeds, Sandwell and Manchester, were able to demonstrate they were investing in long-term preventative measures, rather than just patching up potholes, along with maintaining good road conditions and improving local roads where necessary.
In contrast, ‘red’ areas are not yet meeting one or several of the three key areas.
To help drive improvements, ‘red’ areas will now receive dedicated support to help bring roads up to scratch, which is being backed by £300k of expert planning and capability assistance.
The government adds that future funding allocations will be linked to performance in the new traffic light rating system, "ensuring councils are encouraged to get on with the job and use taxpayer money more efficiently to repair and maintain their roads before potholes form."
