Source
Department for Transport — Local road maintenance ratings 2025 to 2026
amberOverall|amber Conditiongreen Spendamber Best Practice
Liverpool: Record Reactive Repairs, Collapsing Resurfacing
Liverpool City Council earns a GREEN spend scorecard — projected to invest £23.3m in capital maintenance in 2025/26 against a DfT allocation of just £2.3m. Yet the overall rating is AMBER because carriageway defects repaired jumped from 1,680 to 9,547 in five years, structural resurfacing fell from 84.74km to 11.8km, and the council skipped 2024 condition surveys while operating at half staffing.
9,547
Carriageway defects repaired in 2024/25
Up from 1,680 in 2020/21 — roughly 26 defect repairs every day across Liverpool's 1,435km road network, while only 11.8km was structurally resurfaced.
What The Condition Data Shows
Five years of SCANNER survey data from Liverpool's own transparency report — classified roads flat or slipping, unclassified roads spiking
A-roads (191km — 13.3% of network): stagnant
10%
RED (2023/24)
up from 9% in 2020/21
46%
Amber
up from 45% in 2020/21
44%
Green
down from 46% in 2020/21
Liverpool's main roads have barely moved in five years — and 56% of A-road length is now flagged amber or red. No 2024/25 data was published.
B and C roads (128km — 8.9% of network): declining
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 12% | 54% | 33% |
| 2021/22 | 15% | 54% | 31% |
| 2022/23 | 17% | 55% | 29% |
| 2023/24 | 16% | 56% | 28% |
| 2024/25 | No data collected | ||
RED-condition B/C roads rose a third since 2020/21 (12% → 16%), and good-condition roads fell from 33% to 28%. By 2023/24, 72% of B and C roads were amber or red — flagged for maintenance soon or immediately under the council's own definitions.
And This Is The Well-Funded Version
£2.3m
DfT capital allocation 2025/26
£23.3m
Projected capital spend 2025/26
84%
Estimated preventative share
Liverpool spends roughly ten times its DfT allocation on capital highway maintenance — and local road condition is still AMBER. The problem is not the headline spend figure. Reactive defect repairs are running at five times their 2020/21 level while structural resurfacing has collapsed.
The 1,116km Unclassified Majority
78% of Liverpool's carriageway network is unclassified roads — and RED condition doubled in 2022/23
| Year | U-roads in RED condition |
|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 11% |
| 2021/22 | 11% |
| 2022/23 | 21% |
| 2023/24 | 16% |
| 2024/25 | No data collected |
Nearly One in Five U-Roads RED
At the 2022/23 peak, 21% of Liverpool's unclassified roads were in RED condition — approximately 234km of residential streets, estate roads and local routes flagged as roads that "should be considered for maintenance" under the council's own SCANNER definitions.
Even at the eased 16% figure in 2023/24, that is still roughly 179km of U-roads in RED — on a network class the council admits it is still building asset data for.
The 2024 Survey Gap
Liverpool records N/A for all road classes in 2024/25. The council's explanation: staffing was at approximately 50% levels in 2023, so condition surveys were not ordered for 2024 reporting.
For incidents in 2024/25, there is no published network-level condition data — on the road type that makes up nearly four-fifths of the city's carriageways.
"In 2023 the highways service was operating with approximately 50% staffing levels for a period of time. This meant that condition surveys were not ordered for 2024 reporting however they were subsequently ordered in the next financial year to enable the reporting to DfT to continue."
— Liverpool City Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
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 Liverpool's unclassified network, ask:
- • When was your road last condition-surveyed — and was it before or after the 2022/23 spike?
- • If up to 21% of U-roads were RED at the last comparable survey, what was done about yours?
- • How did half staffing in 2023 affect inspection and survey capacity?
- • Can the council claim detailed network knowledge for 2024/25 when it published no condition data at all?
A council cannot claim systematic knowledge of a network it failed to survey — and then produced record reactive repair volumes the following year.
22,593 Defect Repairs in Five Years
Pothole and carriageway defect repairs quintupled while structural resurfacing collapsed
| Year | Carriageway defects repaired | Carriageway resurfaced (km) | Carriageway preserved (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 1,680 | 84.74 | 258.14 |
| 2021/22 | 2,025 | 78.95 | 271.78 |
| 2022/23 | 1,712 | 23 | N/A |
| 2023/24 | 7,629 | 10 | 6.74 |
| 2024/25 | 9,547 | 11.8 | N/A |
| Five-year total | 22,593 | Structural work fell 86% from 2020/21 peak | |
The Reactive Spiral
Liverpool's own footnote states the pothole figures are for carriageway defects and repairs. From 2023/24 onwards, repair volumes jumped to levels never seen in the prior three years — while resurfacing dropped from nearly 85km to around 11km. That is a network patching defects faster than it replaces failing surface courses.
2025/26 Plans: More of the Same?
Liverpool projects 7,528 pothole repairs in 2025/26 alongside just 7km of structural resurfacing and 2.5km of preventative preservation. The council plans 22,812m² of patching — reactive treatment at scale, not wholesale renewal.
"An ongoing priority is to transition the profile of spend towards planned preventative work, supported by life-cycle planning outputs in the Highways Asset Management Plan (HAMP), as a preventative maintenance strategy prolongs the life of pavement surface course layers and protects the original capital investment on these assets."
— Liverpool City Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
Why Best Practice Is AMBER
Liverpool invests heavily — but the council's own report flags gaps in data, prioritisation and survey continuity
"The desire is to continue to build up our asset information data in relation to inventory & condition to drive a data lead prioritisation of maintenance works across different assets with the desire to move towards a multi asset prioritisation process when planning long term programmes of work."
— Liverpool City Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
"We are currently in the process of refining this following a review of the current process and hierarchy to ensure it is fit for purpose and aligns with the council's priorities within the council plan."
— Liverpool City Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
PAS 2161 Early Adopter
Liverpool volunteered its network for PAS 2161 accreditation trials with TRL and the DfT, and plans Annual Engineer Inspections plus 360-camera surveys in 2025/26 — aiming for 100% network coverage under the new methodology.
That is forward-looking ambition. It does not retroactively fill the 2024 survey gap or explain why reactive repairs quintupled while structural work collapsed.
The Council's Own Definitions
Liverpool publishes the SCANNER condition categories verbatim:
- • Green — No further investigation or treatment required
- • Amber — Maintenance may be required soon
- • Red — Should be considered for maintenance
By 2023/24, 72% of B/C roads and 16% of U-roads sat in the latter two categories.
Claiming Against a Well-Funded AMBER Council
Honest assessment: Liverpool is not a low-spend authority — here is how that changes your approach
What Works In The Council's Favour
- ✓ GREEN spend scorecard — invests far beyond its DfT allocation
- ✓ 84% of projected 2025/26 spend classed as preventative
- ✓ Documented Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Strategy
- ✓ Early PAS 2161 adopter with 100% survey coverage planned
- ✓ Full permit scheme for streetworks coordination since 2018
Expect a documented Section 58 defence on major A-roads. Generic claims will struggle.
What Works In Yours
- ✗ AMBER condition — B/C RED up a third since 2020/21, 72% amber or red by 2023/24
- ✗ U-road RED doubled to 21% in 2022/23 on 78% of the network
- ✗ No 2024/25 condition data — surveys skipped at 50% staffing
- ✗ 22,593 carriageway defect repairs in five years — defects outpace structural renewal
- ✗ Resurfacing collapsed from 84.74km to 11.8km while repairs quintupled
- ✗ Asset data and prioritisation process still under review per the council's own report
The Winning Strategy Here Is Specificity
Against a council with GREEN spend scorecards, 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 U-road, the 2022/23 RED spike and 2024 survey gap are your strongest structural arguments
- • Timing relative to the 2023 half-staffing period and the 2023/24 repair surge
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites Liverpool's own transparency data where it helps you.
Hit a Pothole in Liverpool?
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 U-road condition spike argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No staffing-gap survey analysis
Professional Claim Pack
- ✅ B/C road decline and 72% amber-red rate documented
- ✅ U-road 21% RED spike and 2024 survey gap argued
- ✅ 22,593 repairs in five years cited
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Liverpool
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Liverpool spends nearly ten times its DfT capital allocation — can I still claim?
Yes. The DfT Spend scorecard is GREEN, but Liverpool is AMBER overall because road condition is declining — B and C roads in RED rose from 12% to 16% between 2020 and 2023, and unclassified roads hit 21% RED in 2022. Section 58 turns on whether the specific defect that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and repaired, not on aggregate spend.
What if my pothole was on a residential or unclassified road?
Unclassified roads make up 1,116.48km — 78% of Liverpool's 1,435.25km carriageway network. RED-condition U-roads doubled from 11% in 2020/21 to 21% in 2022/23 before easing to 16% in 2023/24. There is no published network condition data at all for 2024/25 because surveys were not ordered.
Does the 50% staffing levels admission help my claim?
Potentially, yes. Liverpool's own report states that in 2023 the highways service operated at approximately 50% staffing levels, which meant condition surveys were not ordered for 2024 reporting. That is a documented gap in the council's ability to know network condition — relevant to whether a Section 58 defence based on inspection records is reasonable for that period.
Pothole repairs jumped to 9,547 in 2024/25 — does that mean the roads are fixed?
No. The figures are for carriageway defects and repairs only, and they rose from roughly 1,700–2,000 per year in 2020/21 through 2022/23 to 7,629 in 2023/24 and 9,547 in 2024/25 — while structural resurfacing fell from 84.74km to 11.8km over the same period. High reactive repair counts signal a network producing defects faster than preventative work replaces surface layers.
Why is there no 2024 condition data for Liverpool's roads?
Liverpool's transparency report records N/A for A, B/C and U-road condition in 2024. The council explains that condition surveys were not ordered for 2024 reporting because the highways service was operating at approximately 50% staffing levels in 2023, though surveys were subsequently ordered in the next financial year.
B and C roads: 72% amber or red by 2023 — what does that mean for claims?
By 2023/24, 16% of Liverpool's B and C roads were in RED condition and 56% in AMBER — meaning 72% of the classified local road network was flagged as needing maintenance soon or immediately. The council's own definitions state RED means a road "should be considered for maintenance" and AMBER means "maintenance may be required soon".
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Liverpool City Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025). 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 AMBER; condition AMBER; spend GREEN; 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.