Source
Department for Transport — Local road maintenance ratings 2025 to 2026
amberOverall|amber Conditiongreen Spendamber Best Practice
Calderdale: Pennine Roads, Doubling RED B/C Routes
Calderdale matches its DfT capital allocation and earns a GREEN spend scorecard. Yet the overall rating is AMBER — because B and C roads in RED condition doubled to 10.6% in 2024, one in three U-roads was RED at the 2023 peak, and the council filled 9,226 potholes in 2023/24 alone across a Pennine network it admits is uniquely vulnerable to weather and landslides.
10.6%
B and C roads in RED condition (2024)
Up from 5.3% in 2023 — a doubling in twelve months across Calderdale's 120km of classified local roads, while 861km of U-roads remain the council's "greatest area of concern."
What The Condition Data Shows
Five years of survey data from Calderdale's own transparency report — A-roads slipping back, B and C roads deteriorating sharply, U-roads persistently poor
Network size (km)
149
A-roads
120
B and C roads
861
U-roads
1,130
Total roads
U-roads account for 76% of Calderdale's road network — the roads where residents start and end almost every journey, per the council's own report.
A-roads (149km — 13.2% of network): slipping after improvement
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 5% | 20% | 75% |
| 2021 | 3.8% | 22.5% | 73.7% |
| 2022 | 1.9% | 17.4% | 80.7% |
| 2023 | 2.3% | 17.5% | 80.2% |
| 2024 | 5.1% | 25.4% | 69.5% |
A-roads improved through 2023, then RED condition more than doubled to 5.1% in 2024 and green-condition roads fell from 80.2% to 69.5%. Even the best-maintained tier is reversing.
B and C roads (120km — 10.6% of network): RED condition doubled
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4.8% | 21.2% | 68% |
| 2021 | 7.5% | 30.2% | 62.3% |
| 2022 | 5.5% | 29.4% | 65.1% |
| 2023 | 5.3% | 27.8% | 66.9% |
| 2024 | 10.6% | 31% | 58.4% |
RED-condition B and C roads doubled from 5.3% to 10.6% in a single year. Good-condition roads fell from 66.9% to 58.4% — meaning over 40% of Calderdale's classified local roads now need or will soon need maintenance.
And This Is The Funded Version
£8.5m
DfT capital allocation 2025/26 (projected)
£8.5m
Projected capital spend 2025/26
69%
Estimated preventative share (2025/26)
Calderdale spends its full DfT allocation and is shifting towards preventative maintenance — up from 62% in 2022/23 to a projected 69% in 2025/26. Yet B and C roads in RED condition still doubled in 2024. The problem is not under-spending at the macro level. The network is deteriorating faster than even a GREEN-rated spend programme can hold it.
The 861km U-Road Problem
76% of Calderdale's network is unclassified roads — and the council names them its greatest concern
| Year | U-roads in RED condition |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 27% |
| 2021 | 26% |
| 2022 | 21% |
| 2023 | 34% |
| 2024 | 25% |
"Due to historic underinvestment and increasing wear from traffic and weather, U-roads represent our greatest area of concern, with condition trends indicating a slow but steady deterioration over recent years."
— Calderdale Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
"While classified roads benefit from SCANNER data and larger resurfacing schemes, U-roads are more likely to receive reactive patching unless prioritised through condition trends or safety risk."
— Calderdale Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
CVI Surveys, Not SCANNER
Calderdale uses SCANNER surveys for A, B and C roads, but unclassified roads are assessed via CVI (Condition Visual Inspection). The council is exploring PAS 2161 compliant AI-based surveys — but that transition is not yet complete.
At the 2023 peak, 34% of U-roads were in RED condition — roughly 293km of residential streets, estate roads and rural lanes across the Calder Valley.
Reactive Patching by Default
The council's own words: U-roads get reactive patching unless specifically prioritised. That is precisely the maintenance pattern that produces potholes between inspections — and weakens a Section 58 defence on the roads where most Calderdale residents actually drive.
Almost every journey begins and ends on a U-road. The council says as much in its report.
Why This Matters For Section 58
To rely on the Section 58 defence, a council must show it had a reasonable system for knowing the condition of its roads. For Calderdale's unclassified network, ask:
- • Was your road surveyed by CVI — and when was the last assessment?
- • If 34% of U-roads were RED at the 2023 peak, what was done about yours?
- • Did the council only react with patching after you reported the defect?
- • Has the PAS 2161 transition changed how your road's condition is recorded?
A council that admits U-roads are its "greatest area of concern" yet defaults to reactive patching cannot claim systematic knowledge of the network most residents use daily.
The Pennine Terrain Admission
Calderdale's own explanation for accelerated deterioration — geology, weather, and landslides
"Calderdale is extremely susceptible to landslides, scour, and infrastructure failure. There are a number of reasons for this including our topography, geology, vulnerability to adverse weather and extensive asset base."
— Calderdale Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
"Landslides are very common all along the steep slopes of the Calder valley and its tributary valleys which have alternating sandstones and mudstones strata. This is inherently an unstable situation, which is made worse by the fact that many of the valley slopes in this area are already very steep."
— Calderdale Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
"A significant proportion of reactive spend is attributed to pothole and surface defect repairs, which are often required due to weathering, ageing surfaces, and traffic loading."
— Calderdale Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
What This Admission Means
Calderdale formally acknowledges that its topography, geology, and vulnerability to adverse weather make infrastructure failure common. Extreme weather, drainage asset failure, and traffic loading are documented drivers of pothole formation.
The council also states it is "unique amongst Local authorities" in combining challenging topography with relatively high population density. That is documented knowledge of elevated deterioration risk on specific routes.
Questions Worth Asking
- • Was your road on a steep valley slope or flood-affected route?
- • Did the council increase inspection frequency after known weather events?
- • If deterioration was known to be accelerated by geology and weather, why wasn't the defect caught?
- • Were drainage assets on your route inspected before the surface failed?
32,520 Potholes in Five Years
The scale of reactive repair tells you how many potholes this network produces
| Year | Potholes filled |
|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 4,967 |
| 2022/22* | 5,202 |
| 2022/23 | 6,495 |
| 2023/24 | 9,226 |
| 2024/25 | 6,630 |
| Five-year total | 32,520 |
9,226 in a Single Year
2023/24 was the five-year peak — 86% more potholes filled than 2021/22. That is roughly 25 pothole repairs every day across a 1,130km network. A road producing defects at that rate is, by definition, a road where potholes routinely form between inspections.
*Publishing Error in the Report
The council's published table labels the second column "2022/22" — an apparent typographical error in the transparency report PDF. The figure of 5,202 and all other values are reproduced exactly as published. The five-year total of 32,520 is derived by summing those published figures.
Where The Money Goes
Five years of capital and revenue spend from Calderdale's transparency report
| Year | DfT capital (£,000s) | Capital spend (£,000s) | Revenue (£,000s) | Preventative | Reactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 6,343 | 6,343 | 3,611 | 64% | 36% |
| 2021/22 | 4,921 | 6,159 | 3,612 | 63% | 37% |
| 2022/23 | 6,197 | 6,197 | 3,733 | 62% | 38% |
| 2023/24 | 7,257 | 7,257 | 3,733 | 66% | 34% |
| 2024/25 | 7,769 | 7,769 | 3,733 | 68% | 32% |
| 2025/26* | 8,477 | 8,477 | 3,733 | 69% | 31% |
*2025/26 figures are projected. Capital spend figures rounded to nearest £1,000 from published values. Revenue spend has been flat at £3,733,000 since 2022/23.
Claiming Against a Funded AMBER Council
Honest assessment: Calderdale is not Derbyshire — here's how that changes your approach
What Works In The Council's Favour
- ✓ GREEN spend scorecard — matches DfT capital allocation in full
- ✓ Preventative share rising — from 62% to a projected 69%
- ✓ Documented asset management strategy with SCANNER surveys on classified roads
- ✓ All-Street Permit Scheme for coordinated streetworks
- ✓ Transition to PAS 2161 AI-based surveys underway
Expect a documented Section 58 defence on A-roads and key routes. Generic claims will struggle.
What Works In Yours
- ✗ AMBER condition — B and C roads in RED doubled to 10.6% in 2024
- ✗ 861km of U-roads (76% of network) — council's own "greatest area of concern"
- ✗ 34% of U-roads RED at the 2023 peak — roughly one in three
- ✗ 32,520 potholes filled in five years — defects form faster than inspections catch them
- ✗ U-roads default to reactive patching, not planned resurfacing
- ✗ Admitted vulnerability to landslides, scour, and adverse weather across the Calder Valley
- ✗ AMBER best practice — HIAMP currently being fully reviewed and rewritten
The Winning Strategy Here Is Specificity
Against a council with GREEN spend and a rising preventative share, your claim lives or dies on the specific defect:
- • Prior reports of the same pothole (FixMyStreet, council reports) — proof of actual notice
- • Photos showing the defect's size, depth and visible age (weathered edges, previous patching)
- • The road's class — on a U-road, the reactive-patching admission is your strongest structural argument
- • Location on steep valley slopes, flood-affected routes, or post-weather-event timelines
- • Whether the HIAMP rewrite means the council's published inspection regime covered your road at the time
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites Calderdale's own transparency data where it helps you.
Hit a Pothole in Calderdale?
A funded council demands a well-built claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY Claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No U-road reactive-patching argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No Pennine terrain analysis
Professional Claim Pack
- ✅ B/C road RED doubling documented
- ✅ U-road "greatest concern" admission cited
- ✅ 32,520 potholes in five years referenced
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Calderdale
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Calderdale has a GREEN spend scorecard — can I still claim?
Yes. The DfT Spend rating is GREEN because Calderdale matches its DfT capital allocation and is shifting spend towards preventative maintenance — up from 62% to a projected 69% in 2025/26. But the overall rating is AMBER because road condition is declining: B and C roads in RED condition doubled to 10.6% in 2024, and U-roads hit 34% RED in 2023. Section 58 turns on whether the specific defect that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and repaired, not on aggregate spend.
What if my pothole was on a residential or unclassified road?
U-roads make up 861km — 76% of Calderdale's 1,130km road network — and the council itself calls them "our greatest area of concern." At the last survey, 25% were in RED condition; the peak was 34% in 2023. The council admits U-roads "are more likely to receive reactive patching unless prioritised through condition trends or safety risk" — exactly the reactive-only maintenance pattern that weakens a Section 58 defence.
Does Calderdale's Pennine terrain affect my pothole claim?
It can strengthen it. Calderdale's own report states the borough is "extremely susceptible to landslides, scour, and infrastructure failure" due to topography, geology, and vulnerability to adverse weather. The council acknowledges that extreme weather, drainage failure, and traffic loading drive reactive pothole repairs. That is documented knowledge of elevated deterioration risk — which raises the bar for what a "reasonable" inspection regime must deliver on affected routes.
Pothole repairs fell from 9,226 to 6,630 in 2024/25 — does that mean the roads are fixed?
No. The 2023/24 figure of 9,226 potholes filled was the five-year peak — 86% higher than 2021/22. The drop to 6,630 in 2024/25 does not reverse the underlying condition data: B and C roads in RED condition still doubled to 10.6% in 2024, and the council still attributes a "significant proportion of reactive spend" to pothole and surface defect repairs driven by weathering and ageing surfaces.
Why is Calderdale AMBER for best practice as well as condition?
The DfT Best Practice scorecard is AMBER partly because Calderdale's Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan is currently being fully reviewed and rewritten, and the council is mid-transition to PAS 2161 compliant AI-based condition surveys. Until the updated HIAMP is published and the new survey methodology is fully embedded, the council's asset management documentation is incomplete — which matters when it tries to rely on a systematic Section 58 defence.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Calderdale Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Reusable evidence record
Council rating evidence and provenance
Rating period: 2025-2026 · Reviewed 19 July 2026
Observed DfT fact
Overall AMBER; condition AMBER; spend GREEN; best practice AMBER.
Cautious interpretation
This is network-level context. The rating does not determine liability for a particular incident or establish what was known about a specific defect.
Correction status: No correction recorded.