Isle of Wight: U-Road RED Share Up 22-Fold Since 2020
The Isle of Wight outsources its entire highway network to Island Roads under a £726 million, 25-year PFI — so the DfT publishes no spend rating at all. Network condition earns GREEN, yet the overall rating is AMBER and U-road RED condition climbed from 0.2% to 4.4% in just two years. The council still filled 41,901 potholes in five years — including 10,140 in 2023/24 alone.
Why There Is No Spend Rating
The Isle of Wight's entire highway network runs through Island Roads — a 25-year PFI that bundles every maintenance cost into a single confidential monthly payment
"Payments made by the Council are a single aggregated payment for each month of the 25-year term of the contract. As a result, the council do not have an individual figure for costs incurred for operations."
— Isle of Wight Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025)
"The expenditure from RIR is considered to be commercially sensitive and has been kept confidential to not Prejudice any commercial interests. As a result, we do not have a figure for the costs incurred by RIR for individual operations. Therefore, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the actual expenditure for Capital and Revenue."
— Isle of Wight Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025)
The Island Roads PFI Contract
On 1 April 2013, Isle of Wight Council entered a 25-year Highways PFI Contract with Island Roads Services Ltd (IRSL). Ringway Island Roads (RIR) subcontracts rehabilitation, maintenance, management and operation of the island's highway assets.
The total value of Unitary Charge payments over the contract term — based on an assumed inflation rate of 2.5% — is approximately £726 million. That single monthly payment covers street lighting, resurfacing, pothole repairs, gully cleansing, winter maintenance, safety inspections and geotechnical monitoring.
559km Rebuilt Since 2013
Since the PFI began, Ringway Island Roads has rebuilt or resurfaced over 559 kilometres of footway and carriageway across the island — roughly 68% of the 819.48km adopted road network.
The council states this PFI rehabilitation has kept the percentage of roads considered for maintenance below England averages. Yet 41,901 pothole fills in five years show defects still form at scale on the remaining and resurfaced network.
The Network Under Contract
Plus 12,000 streetlights, 250 retaining walls, bridges, drainage assets, traffic signals and 28.15km of cycleways — all maintained under one bundled PFI payment the public cannot audit line by line.
What The Condition Data Shows
Five years of SCANNER and SCRIM survey data from the council's own transparency report — strong headline scores, but U-road RED trending sharply upward from a near-zero baseline
Network size (km)
A-roads (123.77km): stable, low RED
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0.60% | 11.00% | 88.00% |
| 2021 | 1.50% | 12.00% | 86.00% |
| 2022 | 1.40% | 12.50% | 86.10% |
| 2023 | 1.80% | 13.30% | 84.90% |
| 2024 | 1.30% | 12.10% | 86.60% |
A-road RED has stayed below 2% for five years. Collection and reporting is undertaken on an annual financial-year frequency.
B and C roads (276.46km): low RED, rising amber
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0.70% | 15.00% | 84.00% |
| 2021 | 1.20% | 17.00% | 82.00% |
| 2022 | 1.80% | 18.10% | 80.20% |
| 2023 | 1.60% | 19.40% | 79.00% |
| 2024 | 1.26% | 17.41% | 81.33% |
B/C RED peaked at 1.8% in 2022 while amber hit 19.4% in 2023 — meaning roughly one in five B/C roads may need maintenance soon. RED has since fallen to 1.26%.
U-roads (419.5km — 51% of network): RED surged then settled
| Year | U-roads in RED condition |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 0.20% |
| 2021 | 1.80% |
| 2022 | 4.40% |
| 2023 | 3.40% |
| 2024 | 3.00% |
U-road RED climbed from 0.2% to 4.4% between 2020 and 2022 — a 22-fold rise — before easing to 3.0% in 2024. At 3%, roughly 12.6km of unclassified roads should be considered for maintenance. The council notes these figures remain below England averages, but the direction of travel on residential streets was sharply upward.
Annual Surveys, Not Continuous Monitoring
SCANNER and SCRIM surveys are undertaken annually on carriageways where possible. Detailed Visual Inspection covers roads not surveyed by SCANNER. Footways, cycleways and kerbs are walked on half the network each year — covering the full network every second contract year. Ask:
- • Was your road in the surveyed half the year your pothole formed?
- • If U-road RED surged to 4.4% in 2022, what was done about your street specifically?
- • Does a GREEN headline scorecard reflect the residential road you were actually driving on?
- • From 2026/27, PAS 2161 will replace the current three-category system — will past data still compare?
A GREEN condition scorecard built on network averages does not mean your specific unclassified road was in acceptable condition when you hit the pothole.
41,901 Potholes in Five Years
Pothole fill counts from the council's own transparency report — with a sharp spike in 2023/24
| Year | Potholes filled |
|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 7,652 |
| 2021/22 | 7,304 |
| 2022/23 | 7,090 |
| 2023/24 | 10,140 |
| 2024/25 | 9,715 |
| Five-year total | 41,901 |
~23 Repairs a Day, Every Day
Averaged over five years, Island Roads fills around 23 potholes per day across the island. In 2023/24 that peaked at roughly 28 per day. A network producing defects at that rate is one where potholes routinely form between inspections — exactly the scenario where prior reports and photographic evidence decide claims.
2025/26 Forecast: 8,380 More
The council estimates approximately 8,380 pothole repairs in 2025/26 — based on the average of the last five financial years. The 2025/26 carriageway programme splits 80% preventative surface dressing against 20% reactiveresurfacing, but routine reactive maintenance will continue as required.
"Preventative maintenance aims to benefit the overall carriageway condition scores, reduce the need for reactive surfacing and pothole filling."
— Isle of Wight Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025)
Geological Risk and Reactive Spend
Beyond routine maintenance, the council is spending reactively on landslips and cliff falls — expenditure not captured in the PFI Unitary Charge breakdown
"In addition to the delivery of the Output Specification of the Highways PFI Contract, and the agreed capital program, Geological events on the south of the island have required the Authority to spend reactively to ensure network resilience."
— Isle of Wight Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025)
| Location | Issue |
|---|---|
| Leeson Road, Ventnor | Landslip in December 2023 — temporary closure, ground investigation and new monitoring system |
| Gill Cliff Road, Ventnor | Land movement and localised cliff fall — stabilisation via anchoring and netting |
| Belgrave Road | Recent rockfall — plan to remove debris and reopen the network safely |
Over £1.0 Million Projected
Current projected expenditure on these geological works exceeds £1.0 million, and the council notes future costs cannot definitively be predicted due to the nature of the works. This reactive spend sits outside the published PFI Unitary Charge figures.
Climate Risks Documented
The council identifies coastal erosion, geological landslip risk, increased traffic demand, modal shift and more intense rainfall affecting highway drainage as network resilience challenges. If your incident was on a south-coast route near known geotechnical risk sites, that documented knowledge raises the standard for what a reasonable inspection regime looks like.
2025/26: Surface Dressing and Resurfacing Programme
Planned works from the council's transparency report — preventative surface dressing dominates, with named streets across the island
80% Preventative, 20% Reactive
The 2025/26 carriageway programme is split into 80% preventative surface dressing and 20% reactive resurfacing following condition survey outputs. Named surface dressing locations include High Street Niton, Victoria Road Freshwater, Seaview Road Cowes and Bowcombe Road Carisbrooke. Named resurfacing locations include Heathfield Road Freshwater, Parkhurst Road Newport and Zig Zag Road Ventnor.
ISO 55001 Aspiration
The council has an aspiration to achieve BS ISO 55001 Asset Management accreditation. Processes already in place include regular internal audits, annual reviews with survey providers, validation of survey data and network inventory reviews. Asset performance is monitored via deterioration modelling and walk-talk-build conclusions — but accreditation is not yet confirmed.
Plans Are Not Proof For Your Claim
A published list of 2025/26 surface dressing and resurfacing streets tells you where the council plans to work — not whether your specific road was maintained before your incident. If your pothole was on a road not named in the programme, that gap is worth citing. If it was on a listed street, check whether works were actually delivered before the date of your damage.
Claiming Against a GREEN-Condition PFI Council
Honest assessment: the Isle of Wight is not Derbyshire — here is how the Island Roads model changes your approach
What works in the council's favour
- ✓ GREEN condition scorecard — RED shares below England averages network-wide
- ✓ 559km rebuilt or resurfaced since 2013 under the PFI rehabilitation programme
- ✓ Annual SCANNER/SCRIM surveys and documented Highways Asset Management Plan
- ✓ PFI output specifications with defined maintenance standards
- ✓ Island Roads FixMyStreet system creates a dated notice trail
Expect a structured Section 58 defence citing PFI inspection regimes and survey data. Generic claims will struggle.
What works in yours
- ✗ AMBER overall and AMBER best practice — not a model authority
- ✗ No published spend data — impossible to verify investment against DfT allocation
- ✗ U-road RED up 22-fold from 2020 baseline (0.2% → 4.4%)
- ✗ Footway surveys cover only half the network per year
- ✗ 41,901 pothole fills in five years — defects still forming at scale
- ✗ £1.0m+ reactive geological spend diverting resources from routine maintenance
- ✗ ISO 55001 accreditation is aspiration, not yet achieved
The winning strategy here is specificity
Against a council with a GREEN condition scorecard and a formal PFI contract, your claim lives or dies on the specific defect:
- • Prior reports of the same pothole (Island Roads FixMyStreet, fms.islandroads.com) — 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 2020–2022 RED surge is your strongest structural argument
- • Whether your road was on the 2025/26 surface dressing or resurfacing programme — and whether works happened before your incident
- • Proximity to documented geological risk sites on the south coast
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites the Isle of Wight's own transparency data where it helps you.
Report the pothole to Island Roads first
Island Roads maintains the highway network on behalf of Isle of Wight Council under the PFI contract. Reporting through the council's FixMyStreet system creates a dated record — useful evidence if the pothole was reported before your incident, or if Island Roads failed to repair it within a reasonable time.
Report a pothole via Island Roads FixMyStreetFor highway emergencies call Island Roads on 01983 822440. Keep your reference number and any confirmation emails.
Hit a Pothole on the Isle of Wight?
A PFI council with bundled payments demands a precise claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No U-road RED surge argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No PFI spend-transparency gap cited
Professional claim pack
- ✅ U-road RED rise documented (0.2% → 4.4%)
- ✅ Island Roads PFI spend gap argued
- ✅ 41,901 repairs in five years cited
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Isle of Wight
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Isle of Wight has a GREEN condition rating — can I still claim?
Yes. The DfT Condition scorecard is GREEN because network-wide RED shares sit below England averages — but your claim turns on the specific defect that damaged your vehicle. The council's own data shows U-road RED condition climbing from 0.2% in 2020 to 4.4% in 2022, and 9,715 potholes were filled in 2024/25 alone. Section 58 depends on whether your road was reasonably inspected and the defect repaired in time.
Why is there no DfT Spend rating for the Isle of Wight?
Highways maintenance runs through a 25-year Highways PFI Contract with Island Roads Services Ltd, which began on 1 April 2013. The council pays a single aggregated monthly Unitary Charge covering street lighting, cleaning, resurfacing, pothole repairs and dozens of other services. Ringway Island Roads expenditure is commercially sensitive and no capital or revenue breakdown is published. The DfT cannot score spend against allocation when no comparable figures exist.
What if my pothole was on a residential or unclassified road?
U-roads make up 419.5km — 51.2% of the Isle of Wight's 819.48km adopted road network. Unclassified RED condition rose from 0.2% in 2020 to 4.4% in 2022 before settling at 3.0% in 2024. SCANNER and SCRIM surveys run annually on carriageways where possible, with Detailed Visual Inspection covering roads not surveyed by SCANNER. Prior reports through Island Roads' FixMyStreet system are critical evidence of actual notice.
Island Roads filled nearly 10,000 potholes in 2024/25 — does that mean the roads are fixed?
No. The council recorded 9,715 pothole repairs in 2024/25 — up from 7,090 in 2022/23 and peaking at 10,140 in 2023/24. Over five years the total is 41,901 fills. The council forecasts 8,380 repairs in 2025/26. That volume is evidence of a network still producing defects at scale, even after 559km of carriageway and footway has been rebuilt or resurfaced since 2013.
Does the Island Roads PFI contract help or hurt my claim?
Both, depending on your road. The PFI imposes output specifications, annual surveys and a documented Highways Asset Management Plan — a structured system the council can cite under Section 58. But the council cannot break out pothole repair spend from a £726 million bundled contract, and reactive geological works on Leeson Road, Gill Cliff Road and Belgrave Road have already exceeded £1.0 million in projected expenditure. Bundled PFI payments weaken public transparency on whether your specific road received adequate reactive maintenance.
Who do I claim against — the council or Island Roads?
Liability rests with Isle of Wight Council as the highway authority under the Highways Act 1980. Island Roads and Ringway Island Roads maintain the network under contract, but the council remains legally responsible for Section 41 maintenance duties. Island Roads publishes its own claims form, but your statutory claim is against the council. A professional claim pack addresses the council and cites the council's own transparency report data.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Isle of Wight Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.