Roads: Repairs and Maintenance
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department publishes a table ranking each local authority in England regarding the maintenance conditions of their roads.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
The Department announced a new traffic light rating system on 11 January. Under this system, all local highway authorities in England received a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. The ratings can be found online, at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-road-maintenance-ratings/local-road-maintenance-ratings-2025-to-2026.
The ratings are not designed to provide a ranked list of local authorities, but assign authorities a rating within the broader categories of red, amber, or green. The full methodology used to calculate the ratings is also set out online. This includes a table setting out methodological detail on the individual metrics and scores used to calculate local authorities' ratings. Further detail on this can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/methodology-used-to-calculate-ratings-for-local-road-maintenance.
The rating system enables drivers and residents to have a clear picture of how their local highway authority is looking for after local roads for the first time. It increases transparency, incentivises the adoption of best practice, and enables the Department to identify where local highway authorities need to improve and to support them to ensure road conditions improve nationwide.
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