Government releases new pothole ratings for local councils

A new traffic light system showcasing how well local highway authorities deal with potholes has revealed results for Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Wokingham.

Last week, the Department for Transport (DfT) released its new mapping tool, giving 154 local highway authorities a red, amber or green rating based on current road condition and how effectively they are spending Government funding.

At November’s Budget, the Government announced £7.3billion in funding to help councils fix potholes and maintain roads.

The new ratings, which are a ‘first of their kind’, are based on three key areas – the condition of the local roads, how much local highway authorities are spending on road repairs and if they are following best practice in maintaining the highways.

The ratings are supported by three scorecards which measure the performance of local highway authorities in each of these three areas.

This includes scorecards covering condition, spend and wider best practice, as well as an overall rating for each authority.

Slough has been given a red rating for spend, but an amber rating for condition and a green rating for best wider practice.

However, the authority has received an overall red rating.

Authorities rated red have not yet met the standards expected in ‘one or several areas measured by the ratings’, the Government’s website stated.

Meanwhile, amber ratings mean there is still room for improvement in individual areas, and the green reveals that authorities have been able to demonstrate they are following best practice.

A spokesperson for Slough Borough Council, said: “Our results were amber for overall road condition, which matches with what our own surveys have been showing us, and we are pleased we received a green for best practice.

“The red appears to have come about because we have not been investing any of our own money in highway improvements – everything we have been spending for the past few years has been grant funding as we continue to recover from financial difficulties and prioritised reactive repairs.

“A criteria which is entirely based on our personal investment rather than actions undertaken or amount of work undertaken, and when the other two criteria are amber and green means we feel an overall red doesn’t really show a comprehensive picture.”

However, the spokesperson added that the £478,000 extra road maintenance funding the council has received means it has been able to restart planned resurfacing works and be ‘increasingly more proactive as well as reactive’.

Neighbouring councils have fared slightly better, receiving either amber or green ratings across its scorecards.

Windsor and Maidenhead received an overall amber rating.

This included an amber rating for both the condition of its roads and wider best practice as well as a green rating for how effectively it spends Government funding.

The Government’s website has noted that the authority is one where the overall rating, best practice and condition scorecards were based on ‘incomplete road condition data, which has affected these ratings’.

A council spokesperson said: “The Royal Borough takes the safety of our residents very seriously and are carefully reviewing the information provided by the Department for Transport. 

“We are currently developing our highway maintenance programmes for the coming year. This will include projects for road resurfacing and pothole prevention in line with our commitment to maintaining a safe and sustainable transport network for all.”

Buckinghamshire Council received an overall amber rating.

The local authority was handed an amber rating for the condition of its roads but received green scores for spend and wider best practice.

Thomas Broom, deputy leader and cabinet member for transport at Buckinghamshire Council, said: “We are investing a record amount of money into Buckinghamshire’s road network.

“Our budget plans include a total £220 million committed to the highways and associated infrastructure.

“It is good see that the government recognises the effectiveness of our strategy to improve the quality of the road network and the significant level of financial commitment that this council has prioritised to improve our roads.

“We will continue to invest as much funding as possible into maintaining and improving the highway network.”

Meanwhile, Wokingham has been marked as amber overall and for spend but has received a green rating for condition and best wider practice.

The Government is set to provide dedicated support to local highway authorities rated red to bring them in line with the best practices.

Wokingham Borough Council said it is not commenting ‘at this time’ and the Royal Borough has been contacted for comment.