Cheshire East: GREEN Spend, Record Pothole Year
Cheshire East projects £53m of capital highway spend in 2025/26 against a £38.6m DfT allocation, with 86% classed as preventative. Yet the overall DfT rating is AMBER — because the council repaired 126,545 potholes in five years, hit a record 37,766 in 2024/25 alone, and a third of B and C roads sit in amber or RED condition.
A 2,700km Network With Uneven Survey Coverage
Cheshire East's transparency report publishes total carriageway length and survey methodology by road class — not a kilometre split between A, B, C and unclassified roads
| Road class | Survey method | Coverage cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Classified Principal A | SCANNER | 100% over 1 year |
| Classified Non-Principal B | SCANNER | 100% over 1 year |
| Classified Non-Principal C | SCANNER | 50% over 2 years |
| Unclassified (U) | Coarse Visual Inspection (CVI) | 100% over 2 years |
Why Survey Gaps Matter For Section 58
Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, Cheshire East must maintain its roads. Under Section 58, it can defend a claim by showing it had a reasonable system for inspecting and repairing defects. The council's own published survey cycles create questions:
- • Was your C road surveyed in the year your pothole formed, or the off year?
- • On U-roads, was your street condition-assessed in the year of your incident?
- • If B/C roads are 35% amber-or-worse, what was done about the stretch where you were damaged?
- • Safety inspections and condition surveys are different — ask which log applies to your claim
A council cannot claim comprehensive network knowledge while surveying half its C roads and all its U-roads on multi-year cycles.
What The Condition Data Shows
Five years of condition data from Cheshire East's own transparency report — A-roads improving, B/C amber band widening, U-road RED peaking at 13%
A-roads: improving on SCANNER data
Main roads are the bright spot. But principal A-roads are a minority of the 2,700km network, and a GREEN A-road scorecard does not help you if your pothole was on a residential U-road.
B and C roads: stuck at 5% RED, amber band widening
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4% | 28% | 68% |
| 2021 | 5% | 33% | 62% |
| 2022 | 5% | 27% | 68% |
| 2023 | 5% | 29% | 66% |
| 2024 | 5% | 30% | 65% |
RED has sat at 5% for four consecutive years, but the amber band has widened from 27% to 30% since 2022 — and green has fallen from 68% to 65%. Combined, 35% of B and C roads are flagged for maintenance now or soon.
Unclassified roads: RED category only (CVI data)
| Year | U-roads in RED condition |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 11% |
| 2021 | 12% |
| 2022 | 13% |
| 2023 | 13% |
| 2024 | 11% |
"It's important to note that the data for the unclassified road network experiences more annual fluctuations compared to other road indicators. This is because there is no standardised method for Local Authorities to collect road condition data for unclassified roads. Therefore, caution should be exercised when comparing Local Authorities due to variations in survey methods and coverage."
— Cheshire East Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
GREEN Spend — With A Reactive Spike
Cheshire East invests well beyond its DfT allocation, but 2024/25 saw reactive maintenance jump to 25%
| Year | DfT capital (£) | Total capital (£) | Revenue (£) | Preventative | Reactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 17,015,000 | 19,269,951 | 10,102,733 | 84% | 16% |
| 2021/22 | 13,048,000 | 16,338,167 | 10,755,191 | 84% | 16% |
| 2022/23 | 13,048,000 | 20,413,000 | 10,953,536 | 82% | 18% |
| 2023/24 | 15,367,600 | 21,867,600 | 10,674,557 | 85% | 15% |
| 2024/25 | 13,048,000 | 19,477,442 | 12,360,357 | 75% | 25% |
| 2025/26 (projected) | 38,640,000 | 53,031,000 | 12,575,936 | 86% | 14% |
The GREEN Spend Story
Cheshire East consistently tops up DfT capital with locally resourced investment. For 2025/26 it projects £53.031m total capital against £38.64m allocated — roughly 37% above the DfT figure — with 86% classed as preventative.
Over five years it has also treated approximately 185km of carriageway through capital programmes, upgraded roughly 250 bridges and structures, and upgraded around 2,000 streetlights.
The 2024/25 Reactive Spike
Reactive maintenance jumped to 25% in 2024/25 — up from 15% the year before — while revenue spend rose to £12.36m, the highest in the published table. That is the same year pothole repairs hit 37,766.
The council states approximately 20% of reactive spend goes on pothole repairs annually. More patching, not fewer defects.
"Research indicates that letting an asset deteriorate to a poor condition (red) before replacing it is the most expensive and unsustainable option over time. The best approach is to keep the network in a stable condition by implementing preventive measures for assets that are in the upper green and amber stages of their lifecycle."
— Cheshire East Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
126,545 Potholes in Five Years
The scale of reactive repair tells you how many defects this network produces
| Year | Potholes filled (estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 15,637 |
| 2021/22 | 27,464 |
| 2022/23 | 20,076 |
| 2023/24 | 25,602 |
| 2024/25 | 37,766 |
| Five-year total | 126,545 |
"Approximately 20% of the authority's reactive spend per year is spent on pothole repairs. A total of approximately 126,545 potholes have been fixed over the last 5 years."
— Cheshire East Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
"While reactive maintenance may seem less expensive at first, it can lead to higher costs due to frequent repairs and unexpected downtime."
— Cheshire East Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
~69 Pothole Repairs a Day, Averaged Over Five Years
A network producing potholes at that rate is, by definition, a network where defects routinely form between inspections — exactly the scenario where prior reports and photographic evidence decide claims under Section 58.
In 2024/25 alone the rate exceeded 103 repairs per day. Record patching is not record prevention.
Plans, AI Detection and Drainage Risk
What Cheshire East says it will do in 2025/26 — and what it already knows about network vulnerability
2025/26 Planned Works
- • Approximately 61km of preventative carriageway maintenance
- • Around 2.5km of resurfacing across the network
- • Capital funding prioritised on preventative maintenance
- • Rolling programmes published on the highway maintenance investment programme webpage
63.5km of planned carriageway treatment on a 2,700km network is roughly 2.4% of total length.
Innovation and Climate Admissions
The council has tested artificial intelligence to identify asset condition and potholes, and uses systems such as Triopsis to programme works. That is evidence it can prioritise defects — which raises questions when a specific pothole was missed.
It also states network drainage is "particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change" and is prioritising drainage asset maintenance over multiple years.
"The capital funding will continue to be prioritised on preventative maintenance with the aim to reduce the number of defects appearing, improving condition across the highway network and helping to reduce insurance claims made against the Council."
— Cheshire East Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
"We have tested and utilised artificial intelligence to identify asset condition and potholes, enabling us to prioritise suitable improvement projects. It has also helped us programme our works more efficiently daily through systems such as Triopsis."
— Cheshire East Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
"We recognise that our network drainage is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change."
— Cheshire East Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
Section 58 on Streetworks Routes
Cheshire East puts Section 58 restrictions in place under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 after major carriageway works — protecting a street from planned street works for up to five years. If your pothole formed after recent resurfacing on a protected street, the council had heightened reason to expect the surface to hold.
Conversely, if utility streetworks preceded your damage, the permit scheme and Section 58 records are worth requesting.
Claiming Against a Well-Funded AMBER Council
Honest assessment: Cheshire East is not a RED-rated authority — here is how that changes your approach
What Works In The Council's Favour
- ✓ GREEN spend scorecard — projects £53m capital against £38.6m DfT allocation in 2025/26
- ✓ 86% projected preventative share for 2025/26
- ✓ A-road condition improving — 70% green in 2024
- ✓ Documented asset management, AI pothole detection, and WMHI-aligned inspection hierarchy
- ✓ 100% annual SCANNER coverage on A and B roads
Expect a well-documented Section 58 defence on principal A-roads. Generic claims will struggle.
What Works In Yours
- ✗ AMBER condition — 35% of B/C roads amber-or-worse, U-road RED peaked at 13%
- ✗ C-roads only 50% SCANNER-surveyed each year; U-roads on 2-year CVI cycle
- ✗ 126,545 pothole repairs in five years — record 37,766 in 2024/25
- ✗ Reactive share jumped to 25% in 2024/25 — documented shift to patching
- ✗ Council admits U-road condition data fluctuates and is not nationally standardised
- ✗ Best Practice AMBER — not the top DfT tier
The Winning Strategy Here Is Specificity
Against a council with GREEN spend and documented asset management, 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 C or U road, the multi-year survey gap is your strongest structural argument
- • Whether 2024/25 reactive spike and record pothole count correlates with your road's condition band
- • Drainage failure context if water pooling contributed to the defect
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites Cheshire East's own transparency data where it helps you.
Hit a Pothole in Cheshire East?
A well-funded council demands a well-built claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY Claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No C-road survey-gap argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No 2024/25 reactive spike cited
Professional Claim Pack
- ✅ 126,545 repairs in five years documented
- ✅ C/U-road survey-cycle gaps argued
- ✅ B/C amber-band decline cited
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Cheshire East
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cheshire East has a GREEN DfT Spend rating and projects £53m capital spend — can I still claim?
Yes. The DfT Spend scorecard is GREEN, but the rating that matters for your claim is road condition — and Cheshire East is AMBER overall. Section 58 turns on whether the specific defect that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and repaired, not on how much the council spends in aggregate. The council itself links preventative maintenance to reducing insurance claims, which confirms it knows reactive patching does not eliminate liability.
What if my pothole was on a residential or unclassified road?
Unclassified roads are surveyed using Coarse Visual Inspection (CVI) across 100% of the network over a 2-year period — so any given U-road may go a full year between condition surveys. Cheshire East's own report warns U-road data "experiences more annual fluctuations" because there is no standardised national method for unclassified roads. RED-condition U-roads peaked at 13% in 2022 and 2023 before falling to 11% in 2024.
Only half of C roads are SCANNER-surveyed each year — does that help my claim?
Potentially. Cheshire East carries out SCANNER surveys on 100% of B roads and 50% of C roads over a 2-year cycle. If your pothole was on a C road, ask whether that stretch was surveyed in the year of your incident — and what action followed a RED or amber classification. B and C roads have sat at 5% RED and 30% amber since 2024, meaning a third of the classified local network is flagged for maintenance now or soon.
Cheshire East filled 37,766 potholes in 2024/25 — does that mean the roads are fixed?
No. A record pothole year is evidence of a network producing defects faster than planned maintenance prevents them. The five-year total is 126,545 pothole repairs, and the council states approximately 20% of its reactive spend goes on potholes every year. Reactive maintenance "may seem less expensive at first" but "can lead to higher costs due to frequent repairs" — the council's own words.
Does Best Practice AMBER weaken or strengthen the council's Section 58 defence?
Cheshire East follows the Well Managed Highway Infrastructure code, uses asset-management-led programming, and has tested artificial intelligence to identify potholes — all of which support a documented Section 58 defence. But Best Practice is AMBER, not GREEN, and the council's 2024/25 reactive share jumped to 25% of maintenance spending. Your claim still turns on the specific defect, prior reports, and photos — not the council's strategy documents alone.
Reactive spending rose to 25% in 2024/25 — what does that mean for my claim?
For the four prior years, Cheshire East's reactive share sat at 15–18%. In 2024/25 it rose to 25% — the highest in the published five-year table — while pothole repairs hit a record 37,766. That is documented shift from prevention towards patching, which is useful context when arguing the council was fighting a losing reactive battle on the road where you were damaged.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Cheshire East Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.