Source
Department for Transport — Local road maintenance ratings 2025 to 2026
redOverall|amber Conditionred Spendamber Best Practice
8,467 Pothole Repairs in 2024/25 on a RED-Rated County Network
Leicestershire County Council — distinct from Leicester City Council — earns a RED overall DfT rating, with RED on spend and AMBER on condition and best practice. Its own transparency report records 8,467 pothole repairs in 2024/25, up 47% from 2020/21, while estimated preventative spend share falls to a projected 30.24% in 2025/26. The council admits: "this reactive approach is unsustainable." Section 58 still turns on your specific defect.
+47%
More pothole repairs since 2020/21
From 5,770 repairs in 2020/21 to 8,467 in 2024/25 — with 8,866 projected for 2025/26 — while preventative maintenance share drops from 43.55% to a projected 30.24% over the same period.
Department for Transport ratings 2025/26
One of 13 local highway authorities in England rated RED overall — condition is AMBER, not green
| Scorecard | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | red |
| Condition scorecard | amber |
| Spend scorecard | red |
| Wider best practice scorecard | amber |
Rating caveat: RED overall does not mean every road is failing. Condition is AMBER — middling on published survey data — while spend is RED, reflecting how the DfT assesses investment against allocation and network need. DfT ratings measure authority-level performance from transparency reports; they do not determine liability for an individual pothole. Section 58 turns on inspection records and repair response for your specific defect.
What RED overall means in context
For 2025/26, 13 of England's local highway authorities received an overall RED rating. Leicestershire is among them — driven primarily by the RED spend scorecard alongside AMBER condition and best practice.
- • Spend RED: investment and spending patterns flagged as inadequate relative to DfT assessment
- • Condition AMBER: published network condition data is mixed — not the worst tier, but not green
- • Best practice AMBER: maintenance programme practices sit below the highest standard
Source: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026
4,332km of county roads — mostly unclassified
Network scale from Leicestershire's 2025 transparency report — where most pothole claims happen
4,332km
Total carriageway
2,690 miles
2,361km
Unclassified (U) roads
54% of the network
1,547km
B and C roads
423km
A roads
Some maintained by National Highways
550 miles
Amber/red — needs planned maintenance
199 miles
Red — requires structural repairs
The council's condition summary categorises 550 miles as needing planned maintenance and 199 miles as requiring structural repairs to prevent further damage — roughly 20% of the network flagged for intervention on its own published figures. Roads within Leicester city and some trunk routes fall to other authorities.
"Reduction in funding has had an impact on how we have been able to carry out planned maintenance and has resulted in more urgent repairs being needed to keep the asset in a serviceable condition (keeping the assets safe for users, rather than improving their overall condition and restoring the structural integrity of the asset). This reactive approach is unsustainable."
— Leicestershire County Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
Rising pothole repair volumes
Estimated potholes filled — defects requiring a patch to make the road safe, per the council's own report
| Year | Potholes filled | Change vs 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 5,770 | Baseline |
| 2021/22 | 5,862 | +1.6% |
| 2022/23 | 6,007 | +4.1% |
| 2023/24 | 8,066 | +39.8% |
| 2024/25 | 8,467 | +46.7% |
| 2025/26 (projected) | 8,866 | Council estimate |
Nearly 23 repairs per day
8,467 pothole repairs in 2024/25 works out to roughly 23 patches per day across 4,332km. A network producing that volume of safety-critical defects is one where individual potholes routinely form between planned preventative treatments — especially on U-roads, which make up 54% of carriageway length.
Repairs are not proof of prevention
More pothole fills mean more reactive workload, not better overall condition. The council itself distinguishes keeping assets "safe for users" from "improving their overall condition" — and states the reactive path is unsustainable.
Prevention share falling while repairs rise
Estimated share of highway maintenance spend — preventative versus reactive, from the council's transparency report
| Year | Preventative | Reactive | Prevention per £1 reactive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 42.39% | 20.53% | — |
| 2021/22 | 43.55% | 20.03% | £2.17 |
| 2022/23 | 36.16% | 21.31% | — |
| 2023/24 | 37.85% | 22.34% | — |
| 2024/25 | 33.63% | 22.65% | — |
| 2025/26 (projected) | 30.24% | 21.50% | £1.41 |
Prevention investment declining
Estimated preventative share fell from 43.55% in 2021/22 to a projected 30.24% in 2025/26 — a 13-percentage-point drop. For every £1 spent on reactive repairs, the council projected spending £2.17 on prevention in 2021/22 but only £1.41 in 2025/26.
Planned work vs backlog
For 2024/25 the council planned 141.3 miles of preventative treatment (resurfacing, patching and surface dressing) against 550 miles needing planned maintenance and 199 miles requiring structural repairs. 2025/26 plans include 3.6 miles of resurfacing and 45 miles of surface dressing — a fraction of the published backlog.
Following the money — RED spend scorecard
2025/26 budget figures from the council's transparency report
£28.8m
DfT capital allocation
£25.7m
Actual capital spend
Below full allocation
£23.4m
Revenue spend
£49.1m
Total budget
Why spend is RED despite a £49m budget
The DfT spend scorecard assesses investment against allocation and network need — not headline budget size alone. Leicestershire's report shows capital spend below its DfT allocation, a declining preventative share, and rising pothole repair volumes. Aggregate spend does not prove every defect was caught within inspection intervals.
The council cites funding pressure; its own tables show the gap between asset-management principles (extend operational life through preventative treatments) and a falling preventative spend share.
What Leicestershire acknowledges
Verbatim admissions from the 2025 transparency report
On preventative maintenance benefits
"Planned preventative maintenance... generally results in a progressive improvement in overall condition for longer periods of time, less frequent interventions required, improved public satisfaction, a gradual reduction in third party claims, more cost-effective long-term treatments..."
— Leicestershire County Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
On reactive maintenance and claims
"[The Council] will aim to minimise reactive type of repairs, particularly on its unclassified network, as it generally results in lower public satisfaction, an increase in third party injury claims, the need for more interventions and higher maintenance costs."
— Leicestershire County Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
On asset management principles
"One of the supporting principles of our Highway Asset Management Policy is that we will aim to extend the operational life of highway assets using appropriately timed preventative and restorative treatments."
— Leicestershire County Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
Claiming against a RED-rated county council
Honest assessment: Leicestershire's RED rating and council admissions strengthen context — but specificity wins
What works in the council's favour
- ✓ Condition scorecard is AMBER — not the lowest tier on published survey data
- ✓ £49.1m total highways budget with formal asset-management policy
- ✓ Documented inspection and classification regime for reported potholes
- ✓ Reactive repairs demonstrate active defect response
Expect a prepared Section 58 defence citing inspection intervals and repair targets. Generic "council neglect" arguments alone will not suffice.
What works in yours
- ✗ RED overall and RED spend scorecards from the DfT
- ✗ Council admission: "this reactive approach is unsustainable"
- ✗ 8,467 pothole repairs in 2024/25 — up 47% since 2020/21
- ✗ Preventative spend share projected at 30.24% — lowest in six published years
- ✗ 199 miles requiring structural repairs; 550 miles needing planned maintenance
- ✗ Council links reactive maintenance to "an increase in third party injury claims"
Section 41 vs Section 58
Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, Leicestershire must maintain highways it is responsible for. To defend a claim under Section 58, it must show a reasonable system for inspecting and repairing the specific defect — not just publish a DfT scorecard.
- • Was your pothole reported before your incident — creating a record the council had notice?
- • Did the defect meet the council's intervention criteria during routine safety inspections?
- • Do photos show defect age beyond the council's classification and repair targets?
- • Was the road on the U-road network (54% of carriageway) where the council aims to minimise reactive repairs?
A RED rating and the council's own admissions provide authority-level context. Your claim still lives or dies on the specific defect, prior reports, and dated photographic evidence.
Report a pothole to Leicestershire County Council
Reporting a defect creates a record the council had notice. Do this before claiming — and tell us when you reported it so we can reference it in your pack. Problems inside Leicester city go to Leicester City Council; motorways and some major A-roads go to National Highways.
Report a road problem — leicestershire.gov.ukCouncil stated targets: inspection and classification within 14 days of public report; category 1 hazards repaired within three working days; category 2 defects within 90 calendar days.
Hit a pothole in Leicestershire?
A RED-rated county demands a precise, evidence-led claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No RED rating or spend scorecard cited
- • No council "unsustainable" admission quoted
- • No prior-report search
Professional claim pack
- ✅ DfT RED overall and spend scorecards documented
- ✅ Council's "unsustainable" admission included
- ✅ 8,467 pothole repairs in 2024/25 cited
- ✅ Preventative spend decline evidenced
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Leicestershire
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently asked questions
Does Leicestershire's RED DfT rating guarantee my claim will succeed?
No. A RED rating is official evidence that the Department for Transport considers Leicestershire's highway maintenance performance weak overall — particularly on spend — but Section 58 still turns on whether the specific defect that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and repaired. Combined with the council's own admissions about reactive maintenance and rising pothole volumes, it can support your case; it does not replace photos, location data, repair invoices and proof of when the defect existed.
Is Leicestershire County Council the same authority as Leicester City Council?
No. Leicestershire County Council maintains county roads across the shire — towns, villages and rural routes outside the city boundary. Leicester City Council is a separate unitary authority responsible for roads within the city of Leicester. If your pothole was inside the city, your claim goes to Leicester City Council, not the county. Motorways and some major A-roads are maintained by National Highways.
Why is the overall rating RED when condition is only AMBER?
The DfT assigns separate scorecards. Leicestershire is RED overall because spend is RED and best practice is AMBER, while published network condition data earns AMBER — not green. That pattern means the council's investment and maintenance approach flagged concerns even where headline condition scores are middling. For a claim, aggregate ratings matter less than whether your specific road was inspected and repaired within the council's own timescales.
What does "this reactive approach is unsustainable" actually mean?
In its 2025 transparency report, Leicestershire acknowledges that reduced funding has pushed it towards urgent repairs to keep roads safe "rather than improving their overall condition and restoring the structural integrity of the asset," and states plainly that "this reactive approach is unsustainable." That is the council describing a cycle of patching failures instead of preventing them — and admitting the approach cannot continue indefinitely without further deterioration.
Pothole repairs rose 47% from 2020/21 to 2024/25 — does that help my case?
It can provide context. The council filled 5,770 potholes in 2020/21 and 8,467 in 2024/25 — a 46.7% rise on its own figures. Higher reactive volumes alongside falling preventative spend share (43.55% in 2021/22 to a projected 30.24% in 2025/26) suggest defects are forming faster than prevention stabilises the network. That does not prove your specific pothole was neglected, but it undermines any blanket argument that the system is working well.
Why has preventative spending dropped if the council cites funding pressure?
The council links reduced planned maintenance to funding constraints, yet its 2025/26 transparency report shows a DfT capital allocation of £28.8m against actual capital spend of £25.7m — meaning not all allocated capital was used. The DfT's RED spend scorecard reflects how investment compares to need and allocation. For claimants, the gap between stated asset-management principles and declining preventative share is documented in the council's own tables.
How do I report a pothole to Leicestershire County Council?
Use the council's online Report a road problem form at leicestershire.gov.uk. The council states reported potholes are inspected and classified within 14 days; category 1 hazards are targeted for repair within three working days, while category 2 defects have a 90-day target from public report. Prior reports of the same defect strengthen a claim by demonstrating notice. Fixtyer searches for existing reports and attaches them to your claim pack.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Leicestershire County Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025. Pothole reporting targets from Leicestershire County Council — Report a road problem. 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 RED; condition AMBER; spend RED; 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.