Cornwall: GREEN Roads on Paper, 100 New Potholes a Day
Cornwall Council runs one of England's longest rural road networks — 7,383km, 76% of it rural — and earns the DfT's only GREEN condition score on its scorecard. Yet the overall rating is AMBER: preventative spending has collapsed from 78% to 51% of the budget, RED-condition rural roads tripled in a single year, and the council's own report describes "a network in decline".
What The Condition Data Actually Shows
SCANNER survey data from Cornwall's own transparency report — excellent A roads, steady B and C roads, and a rural network heading the other way
A roads (564km — 7.6% of network): genuinely good
Credit where due: Cornwall's A roads are in better shape than most of England's. But A roads are less than 8% of this network. The other 6,800km tell a different story.
B and C roads (3,240km — 44% of network): steady, but 4 in 10 not GREEN
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 8% | 31.3% | 60.7% |
| 2021 | 8% | 31.2% | 61.2% |
| 2022 | 7% | 30.3% | 62.8% |
| 2023 | 7% | 30.3% | 62.7% |
| 2024 | "TBC" — not published in the report | ||
7% RED on 3,240km of B and C roads is roughly 227km of road the council's own survey says should be considered for maintenance — and another 30% sits in the Amber "maintenance may be required soon" band. The council warns that with so much of the network in Amber, "this switching to Red is possible".
Unclassified roads (3,579km — 48% of network): RED tripled in a year
| Year | U roads in RED condition |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 3.7% |
| 2021 | 4.5% |
| 2022 | 2.4% |
| 2023 | 7.3% — tripled in one year |
| 2024 | "TBC" — not published in the report |
The rural lanes and residential streets that make up nearly half of Cornwall's network went from 2.4% RED to 7.3% RED between 2022 and 2023 — roughly 260km of unclassified road in the worst condition band. This is the road class where the GREEN headline rating is weakest, and where most drivers actually hit potholes.
The Missing Year
Cornwall's transparency report was published on 27 June 2025 — yet every condition table shows "TBC" for 2024. The most recent published condition data is from 2023, before the wettest periods that the council itself blames for the current pothole surge.
The GREEN condition score rests on data that predates a winter the council says drove pothole numbers to record levels. If your incident is recent, the published condition picture may flatter the road you were driving on.
One of England's Longest Rural Networks — Surveyed by Halves
7,383km of road, 76% rural — and the council's own coverage table shows the minor rural network is machine-surveyed at 50% coverage, with rural lanes at just 25%
| Road type (council's survey coverage table) | Machine survey coverage |
|---|---|
| A roads (SCANNER) | 50% two-way per year |
| B and C roads — main and secondary distributors (SCANNER) | 100% one-way per year |
| C roads — local and minor access roads (SCANNER) | 50% one-way per year |
| Unclassified local and minor access roads (Multifunctional Road Monitor) | 50% per year |
| Rural lanes (Multifunctional Road Monitor) | 25% per year |
What 50% and 25% Coverage Means
On the minor rural network — the roads where the RED figure tripled — a given stretch may only pass under a condition survey machine once every two years, and on rural lanes potentially once every four.
Between machine surveys, the council relies on routine safety inspections and public reports. On a 7,383km network producing 100 potholes a day, that is a lot of road deteriorating between official measurements.
The Hierarchy Question
Cornwall prioritises by a "maintenance hierarchy and resilient network" — usage and importance rather than traditional road classifications. Sensible asset management, but it concentrates attention on strategic routes.
If you hit a pothole on a 4b local access road or a 5a minor access road — categories covering over 3,400km of rural Cornwall — ask when that specific road was last surveyed and inspected. The answer is often the weakest link in a Section 58 defence.
Why This Matters For Section 58
Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, Cornwall Council has a legal duty to maintain its roads — its own report says so in terms. To escape liability under Section 58, it must show its inspection and repair system was reasonable for the road you were on. Ask:
- • When was your road last machine-surveyed — and was it in the uncovered half (or three-quarters) that year?
- • If 7.3% of unclassified roads were RED at the last published survey, what was done about yours?
- • How did the inspection regime respond when pothole numbers rose almost 50% in two years?
- • Was the defect a regenerated temporary repair — the failure mode the council itself flags on wet roads?
A GREEN network average is not a defence. The defence has to hold on one road, on one day, for one defect — and that is where the rural survey gap bites.
Why The Spend Scorecard Is AMBER
The preventative share of spending has collapsed — and capital spend has twice come in below the DfT's notional allocation
| Year | DfT capital allocation | Capital spend | Preventative share | Reactive share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | £38.5m | £28.6m | 78% | 24% |
| 2021/22 | £28.3m | £32.0m | 74% | 26% |
| 2022/23 | £28.3m | £35.2m | 63% | 37% |
| 2023/24 | £36.9m | £33.6m | 66% | 34% |
| 2024/25 | £31.9m | £39.6m | 51% | 49% |
| 2025/26 | £44.3m | TBC | TBC | TBC |
Figures as published in Cornwall Council's transparency report. Preventative/reactive splits are the council's own estimates as printed (2020/21 figures appear in the report as 78% and 24%). Cornwall sits in the 100% business rates retention pilot, so DfT allocations are notional amounts within its funding settlement rather than direct grants.
The Preventative Collapse: 78% → 51%
In 2020/21, 78p in every maintenance pound went on preventative work — surfacing roads before they fail. By 2024/25 that was down to 51p, with nearly half the budget consumed by reactive patching.
Every highways engineer knows where that ends: reactive spend is roughly ten times less efficient than prevention. A budget being eaten by potholes is a leading indicator that today's GREEN condition score is living on borrowed time.
"Lower Expenditure" — The Council's Own Conclusion
Benchmarking against its APSE family group, the report states plainly: "The conclusion is that Cornwall maintains its roads with lower expenditure."
Efficient — or under-resourced? On a £14 billion asset, total annual maintenance spend has run at 0.29%–0.42% of asset value. Traffic on this network has nearly doubled since 2000, from 2.5 billion to 4.8 billion vehicle miles a year.
120,124 Potholes in Four Years — and Accelerating
The council's own repair figures, "noting a decline in overall condition"
| Financial year | Potholes filled | Per day (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 24,492 | 67 |
| 2022/23 | 24,663 | 68 |
| 2023/24 | 34,468 | 94 |
| 2024/25 | 36,501 | 100 |
| 2025/26 (to 8 May) | 3,552 | ~93 |
| Four-year total (2021/22–2024/25) | 120,124 | 82 |
Up Almost 50% in Two Years
From 24,663 potholes in 2022/23 to 36,501 in 2024/25 — a 48% increase. The council expects "a slight increase this year" before its new repair innovations "begin to hold this steady state". That is the council's own forecast: more potholes again in 2025/26 before any improvement.
The Temporary Repair Admission
Where there is running or standing water, the council says it will "sometimes have no choice but to undertake temporary repairs and programme in permanent repairs when conditions permit" — and that "occasional permanent repairs may also be more susceptible to failure". In a county with Cornwall's rainfall, a pothole that came back after a patch is a documented, foreseeable failure mode.
100 Potholes a Day Is Not a GREEN-Condition Statistic
A network producing potholes at this rate is, by definition, one where defects routinely form between inspections. The council's stated KPI — 98-100% of pothole repairs completed on time — only starts the clock once a defect is logged.
The decisive question for your claim is what happened before the clock started: had the pothole been reported, had it been inspected, and had a previous repair already failed. Prior reports and dated photographs answer all three.
"A Network in Decline" — In The Council's Own Words
Verbatim admissions from the 2025/26 transparency report, signed off by the council's Portfolio Holder for Transport in June 2025
"Despite the challenges of managing a network in decline, we focus on proactive strategies such as regular inspections, data-driven planning, and community engagement to maintain and improve our highways."
— Cornwall Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025/26
"There has however been an upward trend the Amber bands and whilst our road network is in better condition than some of our peers at the end of 2021 it was still categorised as, average, despite the opinion of some that it is in excellent condition. Increasing short duration high intensity rainfall events have exacerbated this decline and with a large proportion of our network in the Amber band, this switching to Red is possible."
— Cornwall Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025/26 (as published)
"The current increase in pothole numbers is largely due unusually wet weather over an extended period of several months and the impact this is having on road surfaces."
— Cornwall Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025/26 (as published)
"You can see and increase in numbers noting a decline in overall condition. It is likely that we will see a slight increase this year but with the new innovations we hope to begin to hold this steady state."
— Cornwall Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025/26 (as published)
What These Admissions Mean
Cornwall Council formally acknowledges — in a published, signed document — that its network is in decline, that intense rainfall is accelerating deterioration, and that rising pothole numbers reflect "a decline in overall condition".
Documented knowledge of accelerating deterioration raises the bar for what a "reasonable" inspection and repair regime looks like under Section 58 — particularly on the rural roads surveyed at 50% or 25% coverage.
Questions Worth Asking
- • If the network is admittedly declining, were inspection frequencies increased to match?
- • The council knew wet weather was driving a pothole surge — what changed on drainage-prone roads?
- • Was the defect that damaged your vehicle a temporary repair that failed, as the report says can happen?
- • Why does a report published in June 2025 contain no condition data newer than 2023?
Claiming Against a GREEN-Condition Council
Honest assessment: Cornwall's roads compare well nationally — here's how that changes your approach
What Works In The Council's Favour
- ✓ The DfT's GREEN condition score — A roads at just 1.3% RED
- ✓ NHT survey ranks Cornwall's road condition in the top quartile nationally
- ✓ APSE benchmarking: first in its family group for quality of repair
- ✓ 98-100% of logged pothole repairs completed on time
- ✓ Documented risk-based regime: SCANNER, SCRIM, pothole-cluster targeting, a published Highway Maintenance Manual
Expect a competent, well-documented Section 58 defence — especially on A roads. A generic "your roads are terrible" claim will not work in Cornwall.
What Works In Yours
- ✗ RED-condition unclassified roads tripled in a year — 2.4% to 7.3%
- ✗ Minor rural roads machine-surveyed at 50% coverage; rural lanes at 25%
- ✗ 36,501 potholes filled in 2024/25 — up 48% in two years
- ✗ Preventative spending share collapsed from 78% to 51%
- ✗ AMBER spend and AMBER best practice scorecards from the DfT
- ✗ Written admissions: "a network in decline", weather-driven deterioration, temporary repairs that fail
- ✗ No published condition data for 2024 — the GREEN score rests on pre-surge surveys
The Winning Strategy Here Is Specificity
Against a council that can wave a GREEN condition score at a judge, your claim lives or dies on the specific defect:
- • Prior reports of the same pothole — via the council's own Report It system, FixMyStreet or community Facebook groups — are proof of actual notice
- • Photos showing size, depth and visible age: weathered edges, standing water, the remains of a previous patch
- • The road's place in the maintenance hierarchy — on a 4b, 5a or 5b rural road, the 50%/25% survey coverage is your strongest structural argument
- • Timing: an incident after autumn 2023 post-dates every condition figure the council has published
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites Cornwall's own transparency data where it helps you.
Hit a Pothole in Cornwall?
A GREEN-rated council demands a sharper claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY Claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No rural survey-coverage argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No answer to the GREEN condition score
Professional Claim Pack
- ✅ U-road RED tripling documented
- ✅ 50%/25% rural survey coverage argued
- ✅ 36,501 potholes in one year cited
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Cornwall
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cornwall's road condition score is GREEN — can I still claim?
Yes. The GREEN condition score is a network-wide average dominated by well-maintained A roads. Look closer: unclassified rural roads in RED condition tripled from 2.4% to 7.3% in a single year, and the council filled 36,501 potholes in 2024/25 — around 100 every day. Section 58 turns on whether the specific defect that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and repaired, not on a county-wide average.
What if I hit a pothole on a rural lane or minor road?
That is where Cornwall's GREEN rating is weakest. Unclassified roads make up 3,579km — nearly half the 7,383km network — and 76% of the whole network is rural. The council's own survey coverage table shows minor rural access roads are machine-surveyed at only 50% coverage per year, and rural lanes at just 25%. The last published figure put 7.3% of unclassified roads in RED condition — roughly three times the level two years earlier.
Why is the Spend scorecard AMBER if the roads are rated GREEN?
Because the money is moving the wrong way. The share of spending classed as preventative collapsed from 78% in 2020/21 to 51% in 2024/25 — meaning nearly half of Cornwall's highways budget now goes on reactive patching rather than stopping potholes forming. Capital spend also came in below the DfT's notional allocation in 2020/21 (£28.6m against £38.5m) and 2023/24 (£33.6m against £36.9m). The council itself concludes it "maintains its roads with lower expenditure" than comparable authorities.
Cornwall says 98-100% of pothole repairs are completed on time — does that defeat my claim?
No. That KPI measures how quickly the contractor repairs defects after they have been logged. It says nothing about whether the pothole that damaged your car had been identified before your incident — which is the question Section 58 actually asks. The council also admits that where there is running or standing water it will "sometimes have no choice but to undertake temporary repairs", and that "occasional permanent repairs may also be more susceptible to failure". A failed or temporary repair that regenerated is strong claim evidence.
Does the council's "network in decline" admission help my claim?
Yes. Cornwall's transparency report describes "the challenges of managing a network in decline", notes "an upward trend" in AMBER-condition roads, and warns that with a large proportion of the network in the Amber band "this switching to Red is possible". That is documented knowledge that deterioration is outpacing maintenance — which raises the bar for what a reasonable inspection regime looks like under Section 58.
Pothole repairs jumped almost 50% in two years — what does that mean for me?
Potholes filled rose from 24,663 in 2022/23 to 36,501 in 2024/25 — an increase of almost half, and over 120,000 potholes in four years. The council links this directly to "a decline in overall condition". A network producing 100 new potholes a day is one where defects routinely form between inspections — exactly the scenario where prior reports and dated photographs decide claims.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Cornwall Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025/26 (published 27 June 2025). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.