A new government “traffic light” map showing how councils are dealing with potholes has highlighted Ealing Council’s road maintenance record, with borough data pointing to improvements on some main routes, while there are still concerns over other streets that remain in the worst condition category.
The red–amber–green ratings, published ahead of National Pothole Day on 15 January, assess local highway authorities on three measures: the condition of their roads, how much they spend on maintenance, and whether they prioritise preventative work over repeated short-term repairs.
Under the ratings, green indicates roads are generally in good condition with effective long-term maintenance in place; amber suggests acceptable standards with room for improvement; and red signals poorer road conditions or a reliance on reactive fixes.
Ministers say the system is intended to improve transparency over how councils use their share of a £300m funding allocation for London, part of a wider £7.3bn national programme for local road maintenance.
Ealing Council’s highways maintenance transparency report shows that £945,000 of Department for Transport capital funding is projected for the borough in 2025–26, compared with £291,000 in each of the previous two years. The council expects nearly 74% of its highways spending next year to be directed towards preventative maintenance, including resurfacing and early intervention, rather than reactive pothole repairs.
On principal routes, the figures suggest progress. The proportion of A roads classed in the worst condition category fell from 7% in 2020 to 3% in 2024, while most A roads are now rated “green”. Elsewhere, improvement has been slower. Conditions on B and C roads have changed little overall, and 9% of unclassified roads — which include many residential streets — remain in the “red” category.
Pothole repair figures underline the uneven nature of progress. Ealing estimates it repaired 3,241 potholes in 2020–21, 3,900 in 2021–22, 2,888 in 2022–23, rising to 4,241 in 2023–24, before falling again to 3,027 in 2024–25.
The council says long-term funding remains a central challenge. In its report, it states:
“Based on modelling carried out in 2021 by an independent consultant, it was calculated that a minimum annual budget of £8.5m is required to maintain the network in a steady state at its current condition. Without this level of budget, the road network will continue to decline. We have not received any funding for Principal Road renewal from TfL in two years, therefore the additional DfT pothole funding is vital as we tend to use it to resurface our busiest roads and junctions.”
Announcing the ratings, the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding in London with £300m to fix roads. Now it’s over to councils to spend the money wisely, and for the first time we are making sure the public can see how well local highway authorities are doing.”
Kerry Winstanley, managing director of the Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG), said the ratings offered “a clear opportunity to target support and strengthen the local road network where it is most needed”, adding that highways authorities had worked to maintain roads “despite declining budgets and resources” and that the new approach could help increase investment in preventative maintenance.
Motoring organisations also welcomed the move. Edmund King, the AA’s president, said: “The top transport demand for 96% of AA members is fixing potholes with increased investment in repairing and upgrading roads.” RAC head of policy Simon Williams said the ratings would help drivers understand council performance, adding that road maintenance “isn’t consistent across the country and means drivers have for too long been left with substandard roads”.
