Somerset: Good Roads Today, A RED Flag On The Money
Somerset's road condition is still rated GREEN and its asset management earns GREEN for best practice. But the DfT has given the council a RED spend scorecard — it projects spending £1m less than its 2025/26 allocation, admits it can no longer borrow to top up the budget, and its B and C roads in RED condition have nearly doubled since 2022.
Why The DfT Gave Somerset A RED Spend Scorecard
Six years of the council's own spending figures — from comfortably over allocation to projecting £1m under it
| Year | DfT capital allocation | Capital spend | Spend vs allocation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | £37.291m | £42.150m | +£4.86m over |
| 2021/22 | £28.110m | £32.333m | +£4.22m over |
| 2022/23 | £28.110m | £30.866m | +£2.76m over |
| 2023/24 | £31.341m | £39.876m | +£8.54m over |
| 2024/25 | £35.929m | £35.929m | £0 — exactly matched |
| 2025/26 (projected) | £44.965m | £43.965m | −£1.00m under |
The Direction Of Travel
For years Somerset spent comfortably more than the DfT gave it — £4.86m over in 2020/21, £8.54m over in 2023/24. Then in 2024/25 spend landed at exactly the allocation, to the pound. For 2025/26 the council projects spending £1m less than it has been allocated.
The DfT's spend scorecard flags exactly this: a council underinvesting relative to its allocation. Somerset is the rare authority with GREEN roads and a RED chequebook.
The Borrowing Admission
The historic overspends were funded partly by the council borrowing to top up government grants. Its March 2024 funding report states that option has now gone — in its own words, the council is "currently unable to do this due to the financial emergency".
A maintenance budget that used to be allocation-plus-borrowing is now allocation-minus-£1m. That is the spending squeeze behind the RED scorecard.
"The Council has from time to time supplemented Government grants with additional borrowing as shown in the table but is currently unable to do this due to the financial emergency created by spiralling costs in adults and children's social care nationally."
— Network North Additional Highway Maintenance Funding, Somerset Council, March 2024
Why Underspend Undermines Section 58
Section 58 of the Highways Act 1980 lets a council escape liability if it took such care as was reasonably required to keep the road safe. The statute expressly directs courts to consider the standard of maintenance appropriate for the road and the state of repair a reasonable person would expect.
- • A council that does not invest even its full DfT allocation invites the question: was the maintenance system constrained by budget rather than engineering judgement?
- • Somerset's own report says some poor-condition roads are deliberately deprioritised in favour of preserving better ones — defensible asset management, but an admission that known-poor roads wait.
- • B and C roads are already deteriorating. Squeezed spend means the GREEN condition rating is a snapshot, not a trend.
Somerset's roads are good today. The DfT's RED flag says the money to keep them that way isn't being spent — and every year that continues, the council's "reasonable system" story gets harder to tell.
What The Condition Data Shows
Five years of survey data from Somerset's own transparency report — A roads holding, B and C roads sliding
A roads (681.5km): holding steady — this is where the GREEN rating comes from
Honest assessment: Somerset's A roads are genuinely in decent shape, and the council describes itself — fairly — as "a relatively well performing highways authority" against regional and national peers. But A roads are just 681.5km of a 6,721.4km network.
B and C roads (2,682.4km — 40% of the network): deteriorating
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 8% | 28% | 64% |
| 2021 | 6% | 27% | 67% |
| 2022 | 6% | 27% | 67% |
| 2023 | 8% | 28% | 64% |
| 2024 | 11% | 30% | 59% |
B and C roads in RED condition nearly doubled in two years — 6% in 2022 to 11% in 2024 — while good-condition roads fell from 67% to 59%. That is roughly 295km of B and C carriageway that the council's own surveys say "should be considered for maintenance".
Unclassified roads (3,357.5km — half the network): creeping up
7% RED across 3,357.5km is roughly 235km of unclassified rural lanes and estate roads flagged for maintenance — measured by surveys that only cover a quarter of the U network each year.
"This is reflected in the higher-than-normal incidences of potholes in 2023/24, peaking at 28,574. Significantly above the usual trend for the highways network in Somerset."
— Somerset Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report, June 2025
"This can likely be attributed to the dry and hot summer in 2022 followed by a cold and wet winter, with flooding events followed by extended below 0C periods. The variation in ground water levels has likely caused greater than usual flex in the carriageway across the year; opening cracks over the summer, which have allowed water ingress over the cold and wet periods of winter."
— Somerset Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report, June 2025
The Four-Year Survey Cycle
How often Somerset actually measures the condition of each road class — by its own account
| Road class | Length | Surveyed per year | Full coverage takes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A roads | 681.5km | 100% (one direction) | 2 years |
| B roads | 2,682.4km (B+C) | 100% (one direction) | 2 years |
| C roads | 50% (one direction) | 4 years | |
| Unclassified roads | 3,357.5km | 25% | 4 years |
Half The Network, A Quarter At A Time
Somerset's unclassified roads — 3,357.5km of rural lanes and estate roads, half the entire network — are condition-surveyed at 25% per year. The C network is on a four-year cycle too. A defect on a minor road can develop, worsen and damage vehicles years before the next condition survey passes.
The council describes maintaining the rural unclassified network as "a significant challenge" — its words, in its own report.
The Cracking Blind Spot
Unclassified roads are surveyed with Multi-Function Road Monitor (MRM) vehicles, which the report says "record the same defects except road cracking." Cracking is precisely how potholes start — water enters through cracks, freezes, and breaks the surface apart.
So on half the network, the condition survey cannot see the leading indicator of the defect most likely to damage your vehicle.
Why This Matters For Section 58
To make out a Section 58 defence, Somerset must show it had a reasonable system for knowing and acting on the condition of the road that damaged your vehicle. On minor roads, ask:
- • When was your road last condition-surveyed — this year, or three years ago?
- • If U-road surveys cannot record cracking, how did the council track early deterioration on your road?
- • What does the Highway Safety Inspection Manual say the inspection frequency for your road should be — and was it met?
- • Had the defect been reported before, by anyone, through the council's "Report a problem on the road" service?
A GREEN network rating built on four-year survey cycles says little about the specific lane that bent your wheel. Section 58 is fought defect by defect, record by record.
112,648 Potholes In Five Years
Somerset's own estimates of potholes filled — around 62 every day, every year
| Year | Potholes filled (council estimate) | Per day |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 19,282 | ~53 |
| 2021/22 | 19,078 | ~52 |
| 2022/23 | 21,231 | ~58 |
| 2023/24 | 28,574 | ~78 |
| 2024/25 | 24,483 | ~67 |
| Five-year total | 112,648 | ~62 |
Still Elevated, Not Back To Normal
The 2023/24 spike was the council's worst pothole year on record in this report — "Significantly above the usual trend", in its own words. But 2024/25 didn't return to baseline: 24,483 potholes is still well above the pre-spike norm of roughly 19,000-21,000 a year.
For 2025/26 the council anticipates filling "approximately 23,000 potholes" — planning for another elevated year, while projecting to spend £1m under its allocation.
The Top-10 Hotspot List
Buried in the 2025/26 plans is the "Most Potholed Road programme": "The top 10 roads in Somerset for reported potholes will be resurfaced."
That sentence confirms the council ranks its roads by reported pothole volume. If your incident happened on a road with a heavy reporting history, that ranking data is evidence the council knew — and a strong foundation for a notice argument.
The Prevention-First Admission
Somerset's strategy deliberately leaves some poor roads waiting — the report says so in plain terms
"It should be noted that the application of asset management principles could mean that some roads in poor condition are a lower order of priority for maintenance than a road in better condition; prevention is a more cost-effective approach than addressing the symptoms through reactive maintenance."
— Somerset Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report, June 2025
What This Admission Means
Preventative-first asset management is genuinely good engineering — sealing a sound road is cheaper than rebuilding a failed one, and Somerset plans to put 89% of its 2025/26 budget into prevention. But the council openly states the consequence: some roads it knows to be in poor condition are deliberately left lower in the queue.
If your pothole was on one of those deprioritised roads, the council's defence cannot be "we didn't know" — its own strategy documents the choice to wait.
Questions Worth Asking
- • Was your road in the RED or AMBER category at its last survey?
- • If so, was it scheduled for treatment — or deprioritised in favour of preserving better roads?
- • What interim safety measures applied to it while it waited?
- • How many public reports had the council received about this road before your incident?
Claiming Against A GREEN-Condition Council
Honest assessment: Somerset's roads are better than most — here's how that changes your approach
What Works In The Council's Favour
- ✓ GREEN condition scorecard — A roads at just 3% RED, network ahead of regional and national peers
- ✓ GREEN best practice — Band 3 (the top band) under the DfT's Incentive Fund, TAMP pioneer since 2009, 20 years of whole-asset management
- ✓ A documented Highway Safety Inspection Manual and scheduled safety inspections driving reactive repairs
- ✓ 89% of 2025/26 spend planned as preventative — 240km of treatments, 1.1m m² of surface dressing
Expect a well-organised Section 58 defence with inspection records. Vague claims will struggle here.
What Works In Yours
- ✗ RED spend scorecard — projecting £1m under its 2025/26 DfT allocation
- ✗ Admits it cannot borrow to top up the budget due to a "financial emergency"
- ✗ B/C roads in RED nearly doubled in two years (6% → 11%); green down from 67% to 59%
- ✗ C and unclassified roads on four-year survey cycles — and U-road surveys can't record cracking
- ✗ 112,648 potholes filled in five years; strategy openly deprioritises some known-poor roads
The Winning Strategy Here Is Specificity
Against a council with a GREEN condition rating and genuine asset-management credentials, your claim lives or dies on the specific defect:
- • Prior reports of the same pothole — Somerset's own reporting service and FixMyStreet are proof of actual notice
- • Photos showing size, depth and visible age — weathered edges and old patching defeat "it appeared overnight"
- • The road's class — on a C or U road, the four-year survey cycle is your strongest structural argument
- • The road's reporting history — if it was a known hotspot, the council's own top-10 ranking methodology proves it tracks exactly that
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites Somerset's own transparency data where it helps you.
Hit a Pothole in Somerset?
A well-run council demands a well-built claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY Claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No survey-cycle argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No RED-spend context
Professional Claim Pack
- ✅ B/C road decline documented
- ✅ Four-year survey cycle argued
- ✅ 112,648 potholes in five years cited
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Somerset
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Somerset's road condition is rated GREEN — can I still claim?
Yes. The DfT's GREEN condition rating reflects network-wide averages, driven largely by A roads that have stayed in good shape. Section 58 turns on the specific defect that damaged your vehicle, not the average. Somerset's own data shows B and C roads in RED condition nearly doubled from 6% in 2022 to 11% in 2024, good-condition B/C roads fell from 67% to 59%, and the council still filled 24,483 potholes in 2024/25. Against a GREEN-rated council your claim needs strong, specific evidence — photos, measurements and prior reports — but the defects clearly exist.
What does Somerset's RED spend scorecard mean for my claim?
The DfT has flagged Somerset as underinvesting relative to its funding allocation. The council's own transparency report projects £43.965m of capital spend for 2025/26 against a £44.965m DfT allocation — £1m less than it was given. Its March 2024 funding report also admits it is "currently unable" to supplement government grants with borrowing "due to the financial emergency created by spiralling costs in adults and children's social care nationally." Your claim today still turns on the specific defect, but a council cutting investment while its B and C roads decline will find it progressively harder to show its maintenance system is reasonable.
What if my pothole was on a C road or an unclassified road?
Coverage thins out fast below A and B roads. Somerset surveys 50% of its C roads each year, so full coverage of the C network is only achieved every four years. Unclassified roads — 3,357.5km of the county's 6,721.4km network — are surveyed at 25% per year using Multi-Function Road Monitor vehicles, which the council notes record the same defects as SCANNER "except road cracking." A defect on a minor rural road can sit between condition surveys for years, which makes routine safety inspections and prior public reports the records that decide your claim.
Does Somerset's "Most Potholed Road programme" help my claim?
Potentially, yes. For 2025/26 the council says "The top 10 roads in Somerset for reported potholes will be resurfaced." That is documented, ranked knowledge of exactly where its worst pothole hotspots are — built from report volumes. If your damage happened on a road with a heavy pothole-reporting history, that history supports an argument the council had actual or constructive notice of the road's condition before your incident.
Somerset filled 28,574 potholes in 2023/24 — what does that mean for claims?
The council's own report calls that figure "Significantly above the usual trend for the highways network in Somerset" and attributes it to the hot, dry summer of 2022 followed by a cold, wet winter with flooding and sub-zero spells. That is roughly 78 potholes filled every day for a year. A network producing defects that much faster than usual is exactly the environment where potholes form between scheduled inspections — and where photographs, prior reports and dated evidence of your specific defect carry the claim.
Who do I claim against for pothole damage in Somerset?
Somerset Council. It is the unitary highway authority for the county's entire 6,721.4km local road network, from the A roads linking Taunton, Bridgwater and Yeovil down to rural unclassified lanes. Your claim is made under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, which places a duty on the council to maintain the highway. Expect the council to defend under Section 58 by pointing to its inspection regime — which is why your evidence needs to address when the road was last inspected and what the council knew.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Somerset Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025) and Network North Funding Report (March 2024). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.