The government has published new data showing how well local highway authorities (LHA) are tackling potholes.
The new traffic light rating system grades 154 LHAs as red, amber or green based on current road condition and how effectively they are spending the £7.3 billion funding to fix potholes and invest in long term measures to maintain roads.
The rating are based on the condition of local roads; how much LHAs are spending on road repairs; and whether they are following best practice in maintaining highways.
Leeds, Sandwell and Manchester have all been rated green. They were able to show they are following best practice, such as investing in more long-term preventative measures rather than just patching up potholes, while also maintaining good road conditions and investing significantly into improving local roads.
LHAs marked Amber showed some of these qualities with room for improvement in individual areas, while those rated ‘red’ are not yet meeting the expected standards in one or several areas measured by the ratings.
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 £7.3 billion to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have been asking for. 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.
"This government’s record investment will save drivers money on repairs, make roads safer and help restore pride in our communities."
Edmund King, AA president and founding member of the Pothole Partnership, said: "The top transport demand for 96% of AA members is fixing potholes with increased investment in repairing and upgrading roads.
"We welcome this government initiative to hold local highways authorities to account, which should help to promote the Pothole Partnership objective of more proactive and permanent repairs."
