Hull: strategic bus routes in RED condition more than doubled in 2024
Kingston upon Hull City Council earns GREEN scorecards for condition and spend, yet its overall DfT rating is AMBER. The striking figure is on strategic U1 roads — major bus routes and city links where RED condition jumped from 1.6% to 4.1% in a single year, while 83% of Hull's 731km road network is unclassified and most residential streets rely on walked visual surveys, not SCANNER data.
What the condition data shows
Five years of SCANNER survey data from Hull's own transparency report — stable classified roads, deteriorating strategic unclassified routes
Principal A roads (52km — 7.1% of network): broadly stable
A-road RED sections have stayed in a narrow band. Amber has edged up — roughly a quarter of principal roads may need maintenance soon.
Non-principal B and C roads (72km — 9.8% of network): steady state
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0.8% | 14.7% | 84.5% |
| 2021 | 2.1% | 19.4% | 78.5% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | 17.7% | 80.5% |
| 2023 | 1.14% | 16.0% | 82.9% |
| 2024 | 1.9% | 18.0% | 80.0% |
The council credits surface dressing on amber sections for keeping RED at a steady state on B and C roads — supporting the GREEN condition scorecard on classified routes.
Strategic U1 roads (100km SCANNER-surveyed): deteriorating
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1.0% | 13.5% | 85.5% |
| 2021 | 2.6% | 19.3% | 78.1% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | 15.6% | 83.0% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | 16.3% | 82.1% |
| 2024 | 4.1% | 23.0% | 72.9% |
RED on U1 strategic roads more than doubled in 2024, and amber jumped to 23%. Green fell below 73% — a sharper deterioration than on any classified road category.
The 607km unclassified split
83% of Hull's road network is unclassified — surveyed two different ways
U1 roads — SCANNER (100km)
In 2020, Hull split its unclassified network into U1 strategic roads (major bus routes and city links) and U2 residential roads. The 100km of U1 roads receive the same laser-based SCANNER surveys as A and B/C roads.
These are the routes where 4.1% RED in 2024 tells a deterioration story the classified-road averages do not.
U2 roads — walked DVI (~507km)
The remaining residential U2 roads are surveyed by detailed visual inspection — a walked survey undertaken by a trained surveyor. This is less precise than SCANNER but cheaper to deploy across estate streets.
RED on U2 roads reached 5.4% in 2024, up from 4.13% in 2023 — the highest RED share of any road category Hull publishes.
| U2 residential roads — year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4.18% | 11.09% | 84.73% |
| 2021 | 4.04% | 10.94% | 85.02% |
| 2022 | 3.75% | 11.67% | 84.72% |
| 2023 | 4.13% | 11.15% | 84.72% |
| 2024 | 5.4% | 11.2% | 83.4% |
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 Hull's unclassified network, ask:
- • Was your road U1 (SCANNER) or U2 (walked DVI) — and does the survey method match the traffic level?
- • If U2 RED hit 5.4% in 2024, what was done about defects on your street between surveys?
- • Nine highway inspectors cover 731km of roads plus 1,083km of footpaths — was your road inspected before your incident?
- • From 2026/27, PAS 2161 replaces the three-category system — will pre-change records still be comparable?
A council cannot claim the same detailed condition knowledge on walked residential surveys that it has on SCANNER-measured strategic routes — yet most of Hull's network is U2.
GREEN spend, low preventative share
Hull exceeds its DfT allocation — but preventative maintenance remains a single-digit percentage
| Financial year | DfT capital allocation | Capital spend | Revenue spend | Preventative % | Reactive % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | £3,856,000 | £6,090,803 | £1,640,345 | 9% | 27% |
| 2021/22 | £2,810,000 | £6,303,836 | £700,877 | 9% | 33% |
| 2022/23 | £2,810,000 | £6,766,782 | £1,027,755 | 5% | 37% |
| 2023/24 | £2,810,000 | £4,000,486 | £1,816,083 | 10% | 31% |
| 2024/25 | £2,810,000 | £4,648,632 | £1,619,935 | 11% | 26% |
| 2025/26 projected | £4,482,000 | £5,860,000 | £1,761,000 | 10% | 23% |
Above DfT allocation
Hull adds internal capital funding on top of DfT allocations. Even in 2023/24, when capital spend dipped to £4.0m, it still exceeded the £2.81m DfT figure. The 2025/26 projection of £5.86m against £4.482m allocated supports the GREEN Spend scorecard.
The preventative gap
Estimated preventative maintenance has ranged from 5% to 11% of spend — never more than one-ninth of the budget. Surface dressing and micro-surfacing together treat nearly 2% of the network annually (~90,000m²), accounting for roughly 20% of the capital road maintenance budget. At that rate, a full-network preventative cycle would take decades.
29,844 defects in five years
Reactive repair volume on a compact 731km network — an average of 5,968 repairs annually
| Financial year | Roads | Footways | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 2,995 | 1,957 | 4,952 |
| 2021/22 | 3,106 | 2,581 | 5,687 |
| 2022/23 | 2,997 | 3,295 | 6,292 |
| 2023/24 | 3,856 | 3,030 | 6,886 |
| 2024/25 | 3,421 | 2,606 | 6,027 |
| Five-year total | 16,375 | 13,469 | 29,844 |
~16 repairs a day on roads alone
Hull's council forecasts 3,275 road repairs and 2,694 footway repairs annually for 2025/26, consistent with the five-year average of 5,968 total defects. On a 731km network, that is a steady flow of potholes forming between inspections.
In-house reactive capacity
Most reactive maintenance is undertaken internally by Streetscene services, with thin-veneer patching used for pre-surface-dressing repairs and shallow residential defects. Peak year was 2023/24 with 6,886 total repairs — 3,856 on roads.
Concrete bases and climate vulnerability
Hull's own engineering assessment of why its roads deteriorate — in its own words
"Specifying the SAMI and PMB surfacing materials is of specific importance to maintenance on the Hull City network, which consists mainly of concrete base constructions, which are more vulnerable to the changes in temperature resulting from climate change."
— Hull City Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025/26
"By effectively utilising preventative maintenance treatments like surface dressing on those sections of road that currently sit within the amber category, the highway asset management team have managed to prevent some of these amber sections from becoming red and keep the percentage of the network that sits within the red category at a steady state over the last 5 years."
— Hull City Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025/26
What the concrete admission means
Hull documents that most of its road network sits on concrete bases — a construction type the council itself says is more vulnerable to temperature-driven cracking. It has registered extensive special engineering difficulty (SED) roads on the National Street Gazetteer because of this.
Documented structural vulnerability is relevant when assessing whether inspection intervals were reasonable for your specific road.
The steady-state caveat
The council's steady-state claim applies to classified A and B/C roads and surface-dressing programmes — not to U1 strategic routes where RED doubled in 2024, nor U2 residential roads at 5.4% RED. Headline condition stability masks deterioration on the road types most drivers use daily.
Claiming against a GREEN condition, AMBER overall council
Honest assessment: Hull is better funded than many authorities — here's how that changes your approach
What works in the council's favour
- ✓ GREEN condition scorecard — A and B/C RED held at 1–2%
- ✓ GREEN spend — capital exceeds DfT allocation in most years
- ✓ Risk-based safety inspections with nine highway inspectors
- ✓ Documented asset management aligned with Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure
- ✓ Confirm Asset Management and permit-scheme coordination
Expect a structured Section 58 defence on well-surveyed A roads. Generic claims will struggle.
What works in yours
- ✗ U1 strategic roads RED more than doubled to 4.1% in 2024
- ✗ U2 residential RED at 5.4% — highest of any published category
- ✗ ~507km of residential roads surveyed by walked DVI only
- ✗ 29,844 pothole repairs in five years — defects form between inspections
- ✗ Preventative spend at 9–11% — reactive patching dominates
- ✗ Concrete-base vulnerability acknowledged by the council
The winning strategy here is road-class specificity
Against a council with GREEN condition and spend scorecards, your claim lives or dies on the specific defect and road type:
- • Prior reports of the same pothole (council online form, FixMyStreet) — proof of actual notice
- • Photos showing defect size, depth and visible age (weathered edges, previous patching)
- • Whether your road is U1 (SCANNER) or U2 (walked DVI) — different survey precision, different arguments
- • Proximity to concrete-base SED roads — the council's own vulnerability assessment
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites Hull's own transparency data where it helps you.
Report the pothole to Hull first
Hull's transparency report covers reactive maintenance undertaken in line with risk-based safety inspections. Reporting the defect through the council creates a dated record — useful evidence if the pothole was reported before your incident, or if the council failed to inspect within five working days or repair within a reasonable period.
Report a pothole to Hull City CouncilDefects on the A63, Castle Street, Roger Millward Way and Hedon Road are National Highways responsibility — not Hull. Keep your service request number and any confirmation emails.
Hit a pothole in Hull?
A GREEN-rated council still needs a precise claim on the right road type. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No U1/U2 survey-method argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No concrete-base vulnerability cited
Professional claim pack
- ✅ U1 RED doubling to 4.1% documented
- ✅ U2 walked-survey gap argued
- ✅ 29,844 repairs in five years cited
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Hull
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently asked questions
Hull has a GREEN condition scorecard — can I still claim for pothole damage?
Yes. The DfT Condition scorecard is GREEN because SCANNER-surveyed A and B/C roads have kept RED sections at a steady 1–2% over five years. That does not cover the whole story: strategic U1 unclassified roads jumped from 1.6% RED in 2023 to 4.1% in 2024, and residential U2 roads rose to 5.4% RED. Section 58 turns on whether your specific defect was reasonably inspected and repaired — not on a headline scorecard.
What if my pothole was on a residential street in Hull?
Residential U2 roads make up the bulk of Hull's 607km unclassified network. They are surveyed by detailed visual inspection — a walked survey by a trained surveyor — not SCANNER laser surveys. RED condition on U2 roads reached 5.4% in 2024, up from 4.13% in 2023. Your claim should focus on inspection frequency, prior reports, and whether the walked survey would have caught a defect of your pothole's size and age.
Does the U1 bus-route deterioration help my claim?
Potentially, if your incident was on a U1 strategic road or major bus route. Hull extended SCANNER surveys to 100km of U1 roads in 2020, and RED condition on those routes more than doubled from 1.6% to 4.1% between 2023 and 2024 — while A and B/C roads stayed broadly stable. That is documented deterioration on high-traffic corridors the council itself classifies as comparable to principal roads.
Hull spends above its DfT allocation — does that block Section 58 arguments?
Not automatically. Hull's projected 2025/26 capital spend of £5.86m exceeds its £4.482m DfT allocation, earning a GREEN Spend scorecard. But estimated preventative maintenance is only 9–11% of spend in recent years, and the council still repaired 29,844 potholes and defects across five years. High reactive volume suggests defects routinely form between inspections — the scenario where prior reports and photographic evidence matter most.
Hull uses concrete road bases — does that matter for claims?
The council states its network consists mainly of concrete base constructions, which are more vulnerable to temperature changes from climate change. It specifies premium SAMI and PMB surfacing materials partly for that reason. Where a pothole forms on a concrete-base road, the council's own engineering assessment acknowledges elevated deterioration risk — relevant when arguing whether inspection intervals were reasonable.
How quickly does Hull inspect reported potholes?
Hull's report-a-defect page states inspections within five working days, with repairs scheduled within up to 28 days if considered necessary. The transparency report notes nine highway inspectors undertaking risk-based safety inspections across the network at various intervals annually. If you reported a defect before your incident and it was not repaired in time, that dated record strengthens a Section 41 argument.
Who maintains the A63 and Castle Street in Hull?
The A63 Castle Street, Roger Millward Way, Hedon Road and related trunk roads are maintained by National Highways — not Hull City Council. The council's transparency report explicitly excludes the A63 from its adopted highway network. Claims for potholes on those routes must be directed to National Highways, not the city council.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Hull City Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (2025/26). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.