Source
Department for Transport — Local road maintenance ratings 2025 to 2026
amberOverall|amber Conditiongreen Spendamber Best Practice
Stockport: GREEN Spend, 88km of Residential Roads in RED
Stockport earns a GREEN spend scorecard and repaired 16,482 carriageway defects in five years. Yet the overall DfT rating is AMBER — because 797.7km of unclassified roads (82% of the network) include 11% in RED condition, its £100.6m Highway Investment Programme has finished, and preventative capital spend is projected at just 23% for 2025/26.
797.7km
Unclassified roads — 82% of the network
11% in RED condition at the latest survey — roughly 88km of residential streets, estate roads and village routes across Stockport's 969.8km carriageway network.
What The Condition Data Shows
Five years of GAIST survey data from Stockport's own transparency report — A-roads improving, B and C roads slipping, U-road RED stuck at 10–11%
A-roads (95.7km — 9.9% of network): improving
4%
RED (2024)
down from 6% in 2020
40%
Amber
up from 39% in 2020
56%
Green
up from 55% in 2020
Main roads have genuinely improved — RED A-roads halved from 6% to 4% over five years. But A-roads are barely one-tenth of Stockport's network.
B and C roads (76.4km — 7.9% of network): declining
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 7% | 53% | 40% |
| 2021 | 6% | 51% | 43% |
| 2022 | 6% | 51% | 43% |
| 2023 | 6% | 51% | 43% |
| 2024 | 6% | 54% | 40% |
GREEN-condition B and C roads fell from 43% to 40% in 2024, while amber rose to 54%. Sixty percent of Stockport's classified local roads now need — or will soon need — maintenance.
GREEN Spend — But The Programme Is Over
£6.03m
DfT capital allocation 2025/26
23%
Projected preventative share 2025/26
£4.1m
Actual capital spend 2024/25 (vs £5.27m allocated)
Stockport's £100.6m Highway Investment Programme cut RED roads from 18.6% to around 10% — but the council states that programme has now finished, and future condition depends on DfT and TfGM funding. Preventative capital is projected at just 23% for 2025/26, down from 45% in 2024/25.
The 797.7km Blind Spot
82% of Stockport's carriageway network is unclassified roads — surveyed on a two-year cycle, with only RED percentages published
| Year | U-roads in RED condition |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 13% |
| 2021 | 10% |
| 2022 | 10% |
| 2023 | 11% |
| 2024 | 11% |
"Our unclassified roads represent the largest proportion of the network and yet the lowest levels of traffic movement."
— Stockport Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
"General highway condition of carriageways and footways within in the borough are assessed over a 2 year period."
— Stockport Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
GAIST Camera Surveys
Stockport uses GAIST to monitor network condition with high-definition cameras that capture images along the road creating a "video-like quality" to show asset condition. This imagery helps identify changes, monitor degradation, and provide real-time intelligence for road maintenance.
From 2026/27 a new BSI PAS2161 methodology will apply nationally. Stockport states GAIST's system is ready to meet those requirements — but that is a future change, not today's survey record.
The RED-Only Reporting Gap
Stockport publishes full RED/amber/green breakdowns for A and B/C roads, but only RED percentages for U-roads — as the DfT template requires. You cannot see how many residential streets sit in amber (maintenance may be required soon) versus green.
At 11% RED, roughly 88km of U-roads should be considered for maintenance. The true number needing attention soon is higher — but the council does not publish that figure.
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 Stockport's unclassified network, ask:
- • When was your road last GAIST-surveyed — and was it in year one or year two of the cycle?
- • If 11% of U-roads are RED, what was done about the defect on your street specifically?
- • Did routine safety inspections under the Inspection and Repair Policy catch it between surveys?
- • Were there prior reports (FixMyStreet, council reports) that gave actual notice regardless of survey timing?
A council cannot claim detailed knowledge of 798km of residential roads it measures on a two-year rotation — especially when it publishes only the RED slice of the picture.
16,482 Carriageway Defects in Five Years
The scale of reactive repair tells you how many road-surface failures this network produces
| Year | Carriageway defects attended to |
|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 2,809 |
| 2021/22 | 3,512 |
| 2022/23 | 2,821 |
| 2023/24 | 3,624 |
| 2024/25 | 3,716 |
| Five-year total | 16,482 |
~9 Defects a Day, Every Day
Averaged over five years, Stockport attends to around nine carriageway defects per day. The council anticipates filling approximately 4,200 potholes in 2025/26 — roughly 11 every day. A network producing defects at that rate is one where potholes routinely form between inspections.
The Counting Caveat
Stockport's footnote: "These figures are based on the number of carriageway defects attended to. Due to the way that this data is collated it is not possible to further breakdown the nature of the defect." Drainage-related repairs and trial excavations are included. The figures relate to defects meeting the council's highway safety inspection and repair policy definition.
"We anticipate filling in approximately 4200 potholes as part of our reactive repairs in 2025/26. This is based on figures from previous years."
— Stockport Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
The Finished Highway Investment Programme
Stockport's own explanation for where road condition goes next — in its own words
"In 2014/15 Stockport begin a Highway Investment Programme (HIP) which borrowed funds to undertake Highway repairs of £100.6m on both footways and carriageways including some drainage work to support the longevity of the highway improvements provided. The project aim was to reduce the overall percentage of red roads to 10% for both carriageways and footways by the end of the programme. The improvement of this work is still visible in the overall network condition for the borough. However, this extra spending has ceased as of 2023/24 and therefore the condition of the network going forwards will be more dependent on the level of external funding from the National and Regional Government (DfT and TfGM)."
— Stockport Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
"The focus on preventative maintenance has been a key part of the delivery strategy however more recently there has been an increased focus on main road treatments and skidding risk as our funding has reduced."
— Stockport Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
"However, it should be noted that this funding programme has now finished."
— Stockport Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
What The HIP Achieved
Stockport reports carriageway condition improved from 18.6% RED in 2014 to around 10% overall by 2023, and footway condition from 20.1% RED to around 10%. That past investment explains why A-road RED fell to 4% and U-road RED dropped from 13% to 10–11%.
But the council is explicit: the borrowing programme is over, and future condition depends on external funding that may not match what was spent before.
Climate and Weather Admissions
Stockport also acknowledges that "Climate change and annual weather fluctuations will also continue to have an impact on the conditions of the network" — including freeze-thaw action, extreme heat causing "fatting up" of surface dressing, and intense rainfall causing flooding across the borough.
Documented awareness of accelerated deterioration from weather raises the bar for what a "reasonable" inspection regime looks like after severe winters.
Where The Money Goes — And Where It Does Not
Five years of capital and revenue spend from Stockport's transparency report
| Year | DfT allocation | Capital spend | Revenue spend | Preventative | Reactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 proj. | £6.03m | tbc | £5.0m | 23% | tbc |
| 2024/25 | £5.27m | £4.1m | £4.92m | 45% | 5.12% |
| 2023/24 | £5.98m | £5.98m | £4.28m | 35% | 3.29% |
| 2022/23 | £4.77m | £9.69m | £3.6m | 27% | 0.18% |
| 2021/22 | £5.36m | £13.51m | £3.92m | 41% | 0.02% |
| 2020/21 | £5.47m | £11.88m | £3.87m | 28% | 0.3% |
2025/26 Planned Maintenance — Just 5km
Stockport plans to treat 5.02km of carriageway surface and 1.02km of footway in 2025/26 — on a 969.8km road network. That is roughly 0.5% of carriageways receiving planned surface treatment this year.
Structure maintenance is planned for seven named bridges and retaining walls including Norbury Hollow Bridge, Chorlton Bridge, and Merseyway drainage in Stockport Central.
Why GREEN Spend Still Helps The Council
Historic capital spend far exceeded DfT allocations during the HIP years (£13.51m capital against £5.36m allocated in 2021/22). That investment history supports Stockport's GREEN spend scorecard. But the latest year tells a different story: £4.1m capital spend against £5.27m allocated, with preventative share projected to halve.
Claiming Against a Post-HIP AMBER Council
Honest assessment: Stockport invested heavily — here's how that changes your approach
What Works In The Council's Favour
- ✓ GREEN spend scorecard — historic capital investment well above DfT allocations
- ✓ £100.6m HIP cut overall RED roads from ~19% to ~10%
- ✓ A-road RED halved from 6% to 4% over five years
- ✓ Documented asset management policies aligned to Well-managed highway infrastructure
- ✓ GAIST camera surveys and LCRIG innovation membership
Expect a structured Section 58 defence on A-roads and routes with recent HIP treatment. Generic claims will struggle.
What Works In Yours
- ✗ AMBER condition — 11% of 798km of U-roads in RED; B/C green fell to 40%
- ✗ Two-year condition survey cycle across the borough
- ✗ HIP finished — council admits future condition depends on external funding
- ✗ Preventative capital projected at 23% for 2025/26; only 5.02km of planned carriageway treatment
- ✗ 16,482 carriageway defects in five years — defects form faster than planned maintenance covers
- ✗ Council acknowledges climate and weather impacts on network deterioration
The Winning Strategy Here Is Specificity
Against a council with GREEN spend and a completed £100.6m investment programme, 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 two-year survey cycle and 11% RED rate are your strongest structural arguments
- • Whether the defect appeared after the HIP programme ended and funding shifted to main-road treatments
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites Stockport's own transparency data where it helps you.
Hit a Pothole in Stockport?
A post-HIP council demands a specific claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY Claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No U-road survey-cycle argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No HIP funding-gap analysis
Professional Claim Pack
- ✅ 798km U-road network and 11% RED documented
- ✅ Two-year GAIST survey cycle argued
- ✅ 16,482 defects in five years cited
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Stockport
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stockport has a GREEN spend scorecard — can I still claim?
Yes. The DfT Spend scorecard is GREEN, but Stockport's overall rating is AMBER because of road condition. Section 58 turns on whether the specific defect that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and repaired — not on aggregate spend. In 2024/25 capital spend was £4.1m against a DfT allocation of £5.27m, and preventative maintenance is projected at just 23% for 2025/26.
What if my pothole was on a residential or unclassified road?
U-roads make up 797.7km — 82% of Stockport's 969.8km carriageway network. At the latest survey, 11% of U-roads were in RED condition — roughly 88km of residential streets and estate roads. The council assesses carriageway and footway condition over a two-year period, so any given road may go up to two years between condition surveys.
Does the finished Highway Investment Programme affect my claim?
It can strengthen it. Stockport borrowed £100.6m for its Highway Investment Programme to cut RED roads to 10%, but the council states this extra spending ceased as of 2023/24 and "the condition of the network going forwards will be more dependent on the level of external funding." That is an admission that past improvements may not be sustained.
Why does Stockport only publish RED percentages for U-roads?
The DfT template requires only RED-category percentages for unclassified roads. Stockport does not publish amber or green breakdowns for U-roads in its transparency report — so you cannot see what proportion is borderline versus genuinely good. For claims, the 11% RED figure and the two-year survey cycle are the structural data points.
The pothole figures include drainage repairs — does that weaken my claim?
No — read the footnote, do not dismiss the scale. Stockport's figures count carriageway defects attended to under its highway safety inspection and repair policy, including drainage investigations. The council filled 3,716 such defects in 2024/25 alone and anticipates approximately 4,200 in 2025/26. That volume shows how many road-surface failures the network produces each year.
Stockport surveys condition over two years — what does that mean for Section 58?
The council states that "General highway condition of carriageways and footways within in the borough are assessed over a 2 year period." For Section 58, ask when your road was last GAIST-surveyed, whether routine safety inspections under the council's Inspection and Repair Policy would have caught the defect between surveys, and whether prior reports gave the council actual notice regardless of survey timing.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Stockport Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 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.