Section 114 context: Slough issued a Section 114 notice in July 2021. Its June 2025 transparency report records that revenue and capital spend was then restricted to emergencies only — with no condition surveys collected in 2022.
1,393 Pothole Repairs in 2024/25 on a RED-Rated Borough
Slough Borough Council maintains 312.2km of roads — 268.8km of them unclassified residential streets. The Department for Transport rates the borough RED overall and on spend, AMBER on condition, yet GREEN on best practice. After July 2021 Section 114 restrictions, estimated pothole fills rose from 377 in 2020/21 to 1,393 in 2024/25 — a 269% increase. Section 58 still turns on your specific defect.
Department for Transport rating: RED
Official 2025/26 scorecards — one of 13 authorities rated RED overall in England
| Metric | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | red |
| Condition scorecard | amber |
| Spend scorecard | red |
| Best practice scorecard | green |
What RED overall means
Slough is one of 13 councils in England (out of 154) to receive an overall RED rating from the Department for Transport in 2025/26. The spend scorecard RED reflects inadequate investment relative to DfT expectations — not a finding that every road is unmaintained.
The GREEN best-practice scorecard shows Slough still scores on some national maintenance standards. That mixed picture is why a precise, evidence-led claim matters more than borough-wide headlines.
Source: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 (published 2026, based on council transparency reports submitted by June 2025).
312.2km of roads — mostly residential
Network scale from Slough's June 2025 transparency report — where most pothole claims start
“Many users of the highway will have noticed that some of our roads have deteriorated in recent years following the financial difficulties the council has had.”
— Slough Borough Council — Highways Maintenance Funding page
What the published condition data shows
Five years of survey data from Slough's June 2025 transparency report — with a 2022 data gap after Section 114
2022 caveat: Slough collected no A, B/C or U-road condition data in 2022. The council attributes this to the July 2021 Section 114 notice restricting spend to emergencies only, while a new survey framework contract was being tendered. Comparisons across 2022 are not possible.
A roads (34.8km) — SCANNER surveyed annually
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3% | 21% | 76% |
| 2021 | 2% | 23% | 75% |
| 2022 | No data collected | ||
| 2023 | 7% | 28% | 65% |
| 2024 | 7% | 28% | 65% |
A-road RED condition rose from 2–3% pre-Section 114 to 7% in 2023 and 2024 — more than doubling on principal routes that make up 11% of the carriageway network.
B and C roads (8.6km) — 3% of the network
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3% | 22% | 75% |
| 2021 | 5% | 21% | 73% |
| 2022 | No data collected | ||
| 2023 | 8% | 43% | 49% |
| 2024 | 8% | 26% | 66% |
B/C roads are a small share of the network, but RED condition rose from 3% in 2020 to 8% in 2023–2024, with amber roads peaking at 43% in 2023.
Unclassified roads (268.8km) — CVI survey on a four-year cycle
| Year | Red (published) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 16% |
| 2021 | 12% |
| 2022 | No data collected |
| 2023 | 25% |
| 2024 | 22% |
Slough surveys 25% of U-roads annually via CVI (covering the full network over four years). RED-condition U-roads rose from 16% in 2020 to a peak of 25% in 2023, easing slightly to 22% in 2024 — roughly 59km of residential network in RED condition at the last survey.
The council notes CVI does not provide the same machine-measured precision as SCANNER, but is suited to lower-speed unclassified roads.
“S114 issued in July 21 – revenue and capital spend restricted to emergencies only”
— Slough Borough Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025)
Following the money
RED spend scorecard — capital budgets held flat since 2022/23 while pothole workload surged
| Year | DfT capital (£000s) | Capital spend (£000s) | Revenue spend (£000s) | Preventative | Reactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 (proj.) | 1,888 | 1,024 | 864 | 65% | 35% |
| 2024/25 | 1,129 | 261 | 868 | 60% | 40% |
| 2023/24 | 1,129 | 261 | 868 | 60% | 40% |
| 2022/23 | 1,129 | 261 | 868 | 60% | 40% |
| 2021/22 | 979 | 479 | 500 | 60% | 40% |
| 2020/21 | 878 | 378 | 500 | 60% | 40% |
Why spend is RED
Total maintenance spend in 2024/25 was £1.129m (£261k capital plus £868k revenue). Capital spend has been frozen at £261k since 2022/23 even as DfT allocations rose. The council attributes early 2020/21 disruption to council restructure and Covid-19 alongside Section 114 constraints.
Why claims still happen
Approximately 18% of 2024/25 reactive spend went directly to pothole intervention works. The preventative/reactive split has held at 60/40 since 2017 — yet estimated pothole fills averaged roughly 958 per year over five years. Spend volume does not prove every defect was caught within inspection intervals.
Rising pothole patch counts
Estimated potholes filled — from Slough's June 2025 transparency report
| Year | Potholes filled | Change vs 2020/21 | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 377 | Baseline | Pre-Section 114; restructure and Covid impacts noted |
| 2021/22 | 408 | +8.2% | Section 114 issued July 2021 |
| 2022/23 | 1,151 | +205% | Reactive backlog emerges |
| 2023/24 | 1,461 | +288% | Peak estimated fills |
| 2024/25 | 1,393 | +269% | Still well above pre-Section 114 levels |
| 2025/26 (projected) | ~1,200 | Council estimate | May be lower if major schemes absorb defects |
“Over the past five years, the estimated number of potholes repaired has varied from 377 (2020/21) to 1393 (2024/25), with an average of approximately 958 per year.”
— Slough Borough Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025)
Reactive workload, not proof of prevention
1,393 pothole repairs in 2024/25 works out to roughly 3.8 patches per day across 312.2km. That pattern shows safety-critical defects still forming faster than preventative resurfacing eliminates them — especially on U-roads measured on a four-year CVI cycle.
Section 114, recovery plans and Section 58
What Slough's own June 2025 report says about financial constraints — and what that means for claims
July 2021 Section 114 notice
Under the Local Government Finance Act 1988, a Section 114 notice signals that a council cannot balance its budget without exceptional measures. Slough's transparency report records that revenue and capital highway spend was then restricted to emergencies only — with no condition surveys in 2022.
That is the council's own explanation for disrupted maintenance — relevant context when assessing whether a reasonable inspection and repair system existed for your specific defect.
2025/26 recovery programme
- • 5–10km carriageway resurfacing planned (subject to survey outcomes)
- • 2,439 m² carriageway patching projected
- • Major schemes: A4 cycleway, A4 safer roads, Destination Farnham Road, Stoke regeneration
- • Preventative share targeted at 65% (up from 60%)
- • Highway maintenance contract being re-tendered with warm-mix asphalt options
Section 41 vs Section 58
Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, Slough must maintain highways maintainable at public expense. To defend a claim under Section 58, it must show a reasonable system for inspecting and repairing the specific defect — not just publish a mixed DfT scorecard or cite financial recovery plans.
- • Was your U-road on the four-year CVI survey cycle — and had it been surveyed recently?
- • Did the defect meet intervention criteria during routine safety inspections?
- • Were there prior reports (FixMyStreet, council form) giving actual notice?
- • Does photographic evidence show defect age beyond the inspection interval?
“It is the intention now for the service to treat the affected roads as efficiently as possible and to ensure that the public purse gets value for money.”
— Slough Borough Council — Highways Maintenance Funding page
Claiming against a RED-rated borough
Honest assessment: Slough faces serious spend and condition challenges — but also documents recovery work
What works in the council's favour
- ✓ GREEN DfT best-practice scorecard
- ✓ APSE benchmarking membership cited in June 2025 report
- ✓ Annual SCANNER surveys on A-roads
- ✓ Major preventative schemes planned for 2025/26
- ✓ 65% preventative spend projected for 2025/26
Expect the council to point to recovery investment and risk-based asset management. Generic neglect arguments alone may not suffice.
What works in yours
- ✗ RED overall and spend DfT ratings — 1 of 13 RED authorities
- ✗ 268.8km of U-roads — 86% of network — on a four-year CVI cycle
- ✗ U-road RED condition at 22% in 2024 (peak 25% in 2023)
- ✗ 1,393 pothole fills in 2024/25 — up 269% from 2020/21
- ✗ Council's own Section 114 “emergencies only” spending admission
- ✗ No condition data collected in 2022 during financial restrictions
The winning strategy here is specificity
Against a borough with RED spend ratings but GREEN best practice, your claim lives or dies on the specific defect:
- • Prior reports of the same pothole — proof of actual notice beyond network surveys
- • Photos showing defect size, depth and age (weathered edges, previous patching)
- • Road class — on a U-road, the four-year survey gap is your strongest structural argument
- • Section 114 context cited from the council's own transparency report where relevant
Mac builds exactly this case: prior-report search, photo assessment, and citations from Slough's own transparency data where it helps you — without overstating what the scorecards prove.
Report a pothole to Slough Borough 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.
Report a highways issue — slough.gov.ukHit a pothole in Slough?
A RED-rated borough with Section 114 history demands a precise claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No four-year U-road survey-gap argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No Section 114 transparency citations
Professional claim pack
- ✅ U-road deterioration documented (22% RED in 2024)
- ✅ Four-year CVI survey cycle argued
- ✅ 1,393 pothole repairs in 2024/25 cited
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Slough
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still claim against Slough after its Section 114 notice?
Yes. A Section 114 notice does not remove the council's duty to maintain highways or your ability to pursue a claim. It can provide context: Slough's June 2025 transparency report records that spending was "restricted to emergencies only" after the July 2021 notice. Section 58 still turns on whether the specific defect that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and repaired — not on the council's wider financial position alone.
Slough earns GREEN on DfT best practice — does that block my claim?
Not automatically. The Department for Transport rates Slough GREEN on wider best practice — the council cites APSE benchmarking, permit-scheme coordination and innovation pilots in its June 2025 report. But the overall rating is RED and the spend scorecard is RED. Your claim lives or dies on inspection records, defect response and evidence for your specific road, not on a single green scorecard.
What if my pothole was on a residential or unclassified road?
Unclassified roads make up 268.8km — 86% of Slough's 312.2km carriageway network. The council surveys 25% of U-roads annually using CVI methodology (a four-year cycle to cover the network). Its published RED-only figures show U-road failure rates rose from 16% in 2020 to a peak of 25% in 2023, standing at 22% in 2024. If your incident fell between survey years, the council's network-level data may not have captured your street.
Does Section 114 guarantee my claim will succeed?
No. The July 2021 Section 114 notice and the council's own admission that maintenance spending was "restricted to emergencies only" may weaken a blanket Section 58 defence — but success still depends on your evidence: photos, repair invoices, road class, prior reports and whether the defect met the council's intervention criteria.
Pothole repairs rose from 377 to 1,393 — does the slight fall to 1,393 in 2024/25 mean recovery?
Not necessarily for your road. Slough filled 377 potholes in 2020/21, 408 in 2021/22 (when Section 114 was issued), then 1,151, 1,461 and 1,393 through 2024/25 — a 269% rise from the pre-notice baseline. The council projects around 1,200 fills in 2025/26. That volume of reactive work shows defects still forming across the network; it is not proof your specific defect was unavoidable or reasonably managed.
Why is Slough's DfT spend scorecard RED when it allocates over £1m a year?
The DfT Spend scorecard compares investment against what the department considers adequate for the network — Slough is one of 13 authorities with an overall RED rating in 2025/26. The council's transparency report shows total highway maintenance spend of £1.129m in 2024/25 (£261k capital plus £868k revenue), with capital spend held at £261k since 2022/23 despite rising DfT allocations. Aggregate spend does not prove the individual pothole was known and repaired within inspection intervals.
How do I report a pothole to Slough Borough Council?
Report highways defects via the council's online form at slough.gov.uk. Prior reports of the same defect can demonstrate the council had notice before your incident. Fixtyer searches for existing reports and attaches them to your claim pack. If you are claiming compensation for damage, that is a separate insurance claim process on the council's website.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Slough Borough Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025) | Slough Borough Council — Highways Maintenance Funding. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.