Walsall: one in four residential roads in RED condition
Walsall Council outspends its DfT capital allocation and earns a GREEN spend scorecard. Yet 26% of its 697km unclassified network is in RED condition — up from 20% in 2020, every year without exception — and the DfT rates its best practice RED with just 12% preventative spend projected for 2025/26.
The DfT's verdict — GREEN spend, RED best practice
Official 2025/26 scorecards from the Department for Transport, cross-referenced with Walsall's own transparency report (published 12 May 2025)
| Metric | What the data shows | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | AMBER condition + RED best practice offset GREEN spend | amber |
| Road condition | U-roads 26% RED — rising five years straight | amber |
| Spend | £7.909m capital vs £6.606m DfT allocation (2025/26) | green |
| Best practice | 12% preventative · 28% reactive (2025/26 proj.) | red |
What GREEN spend means: Walsall's projected 2025/26 capital spend of £7.909m exceeds its £6.606m DfT allocation — a pattern repeated across every published year. The council secured an additional £5.2 million through West Midlands and DfT Challenge Fund initiatives for heavily trafficked classified roads. Money is not the headline problem.
What RED best practice means: The DfT penalises councils whose own published figures show reactive maintenance outpacing prevention. Walsall's preventative share has fallen from 17% in 2023/24 to a projected 12% in 2025/26 — while it estimates up to 5,000 potholes may need attention this financial year. That split is why best practice is RED despite GREEN spend.
Why best practice is RED
The DfT's weakest scorecard for Walsall — explained by the council's own spending table
| Year | DfT allocation | Total capital spend | Revenue spend | Preventative* | Reactive** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | £5.673m | £8.473m | £2.026m | 12% | 24% |
| 2021/22 | £2.767m | £5.567m | £1.713m | 11% | 32% |
| 2022/23 | £3.330m | £5.933m | £2.094m | 17% | 32% |
| 2023/24 | £4.250m | £7.553m | £2.272m | 17% | 31% |
| 2024/25 | £3.713m | £7.452m | £2.348m | 16% | 30% |
| 2025/26 | £6.606m | £7.909m | £2.506m | 12% | 28% |
* Estimate of percentage spent on preventative maintenance. ** Estimate of percentage spent on reactive maintenance. Source: Walsall Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report, published 12 May 2025.
The reactive tilt
Preventative spend peaked at 17% in 2022/23 and 2023/24, then fell to 16% in 2024/25 and a projected 12% in 2025/26 — the lowest figure in six published years. Reactive maintenance has sat at 28–32% throughout. That is the patch-first pattern the DfT's best practice scorecard is designed to catch.
GREEN spend, different deployment
Total capital spend exceeded the DfT allocation in every published year — reaching £8.473m against £5.673m allocated in 2020/21. The council is investing. The question is whether investment reaches the 697km of residential roads where RED condition is climbing — or concentrates on the 150km of classified carriageway where SCANNER data already looks strong.
“Prevention is better than cure — intervening at the right time will reduce the number of potholes forming and prevent bigger problems later. Right first time — do it once and get it right, rather than face continuous bills.”
— Walsall Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025 — citing HMEP 'Prevention and a Better Cure'
What the condition data shows
Five years of SCANNER and CVI survey data from Walsall's own transparency report — classified roads stable, residential network deteriorating
The network (847km total roads)
Walsall also maintains 1,312km of footways, 99km of other public rights of way and 19km of cycleways. Motorways and trunk roads including the M6 and A5 are National Highways' responsibility.
A-roads (98km): improving
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2.1% | 17.2% | 80.7% |
| 2021 | 1.9% | 17.2% | 80.9% |
| 2022 | 2.3% | 19.1% | 78.6% |
| 2023 | 2.1% | 18.4% | 79.5% |
| 2024 | 1.5% | 16.8% | 81.7% |
SCANNER surveys cover 100% of the A-road network in both directions over a two-year period. Credit where due: principal roads have genuinely improved. But A-roads are just one-ninth of the network.
B and C roads (52km): stable
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1.1% | 15.5% | 83.3% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | 17.4% | 80.9% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | 19.1% | 79.2% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | 16.8% | 82.1% |
| 2024 | 1.1% | 16.8% | 82.1% |
B and C roads have held steady — partly reflecting £5.2 million of Challenge Fund investment on heavily trafficked routes. SCANNER surveys cover 100% of the B and C network in both directions over a two-year period.
“The condition of Walsall Council's classified road network has benefited significantly from the injection of additional funding over recent years because of two successful West Midlands and Department for Transport (DfT) Challenge Fund investment initiatives which secured an additional £5.2 million of government grant funding to improve the condition of many of the region's most heavily trafficked roads.”
— Walsall Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
The 697km four-year blind spot
82% of the network on a rolling CVI survey — RED condition rising every year since 2020
| Year | U-roads in RED condition |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 20% |
| 2021 | 21% |
| 2022 | 23% |
| 2023 | 25% |
| 2024 | 26% |
The four-year CVI cycle
Walsall's transparency report states CVI surveys are carried out annually across 100% of the unclassified network over a four-year period — meaning 25% is surveyed each year. Unlike SCANNER on classified roads, CVI produces only a RED category for U-roads, with no amber band for roads approaching failure.
At 26% RED in 2024, roughly 181km of residential streets should be considered for maintenance — on a network where your road may not have received a published condition survey for up to three years.
PAS 2161 from 2026/27
From 2026/27, local highway authorities must use suppliers accredited against BSI PAS 2161, expanding condition categories from three to five. Walsall's published report notes this change explicitly.
Until then, the 20% → 26% RED trend on U-roads — measured under the current CVI methodology — is the network-level evidence your claim can cite for residential-road incidents.
Why this matters for Section 58
To rely on the Section 58 defence, Walsall must show it had a reasonable system for knowing the condition of its roads. For the unclassified network, ask:
- • When was your road last CVI condition-surveyed — and was it in the 25% surveyed that year?
- • If 26% of U-roads were RED at the 2024 survey, what was done about yours?
- • How does a four-year survey rotation catch defects that form between inspections?
- • Why is preventative spend projected at 12% while U-road RED condition keeps climbing?
A council rated RED on best practice cannot credibly claim a preventative, well-managed highways regime — especially on roads it only condition-surveys on a four-year rotation.
27,025 potholes in five years
Estimated repair counts from Walsall's transparency report — a reactive maintenance programme
| Year | Potholes filled (estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 8,286 |
| 2021/22 | 4,157 |
| 2022/23 | 4,480 |
| 2023/24 | 4,980 |
| 2024/25 | 5,122 |
| Five-year total | 27,025 |
~15 potholes a day, every day
Averaged over five years, Walsall fills around 15 potholes per day. The council estimates up to 5,000 may need attention in 2025/26 depending on winter severity — while planning to resurface around six miles of carriageway and surface-treat around seven miles. Reactive volume outpaces planned structural renewal.
Velocity Patch at scale
Walsall brings in a specialist Velocity Patch repair contractor before and after the most severe winter weather each year. Engineers believe it offers the fastest, most durable solution for meeting prevailing best-practice guidance — a reactive technology deployed when frost and ice drive defect numbers up, not a substitute for resurfacing deteriorating U-roads.
“Depending on the severity of weather conditions, it is estimated that up to 5,000 potholes could need attention during 2025/26.”
— Walsall Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
What Walsall plans for 2025/26
Provisional maintenance programmes from the council's own transparency report
Structured safety inspections
Walsall undertakes structured highway safety inspections across the borough to identify defects including potholes. Streets suffering large numbers of potholes are analysed within the council's methodologies for structural or preventative maintenance programmes where risk applies — but the published U-road condition trend suggests reactive intervention is not reversing network-level deterioration.
Nine major structure projects
The council aims to deliver nine major highway structure projects in 2025/26, investing around £0.8 million. Asset management planning follows the Well Managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice, with HAMP, HAMS and HMMP documents reviewed annually and published on the council website.
Claiming against a GREEN-spend, RED-practice council
Honest assessment: Walsall invests well on classified roads — but your claim may turn on the other 82%
What works in the council's favour
- ✓ GREEN spend scorecard — capital exceeds DfT allocation in every published year
- ✓ A-road condition improving — RED down from 2.1% to 1.5% since 2020
- ✓ £5.2m Challenge Fund secured for heavily trafficked classified routes
- ✓ Published asset management framework aligned to Well Managed Highway Infrastructure
Expect a documented Section 58 defence on A-roads with SCANNER data. Generic claims will struggle on principal routes.
What works in yours
- ✗ RED best practice — preventative spend projected at just 12% in 2025/26
- ✗ 697km U-road network on a four-year CVI survey cycle
- ✗ 26% of U-roads in RED — up every year since 2020
- ✗ 27,025 pothole fills in five years on a predominantly reactive programme
- ✗ Up to 5,000 potholes estimated for 2025/26 alone
The winning strategy here is specificity
Against a council with GREEN spend but RED best practice, your claim lives or dies on the specific defect:
- • Prior reports of the same pothole (FixMyStreet, council online 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 four-year CVI survey gap is your strongest structural argument
- • Whether the council's own U-road RED trend supports an argument that your street was in a deteriorating network
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites Walsall's own transparency data — including the RED best practice admission — where it helps you.
Report the pothole to Walsall first
Walsall's transparency report covers reactive maintenance undertaken in line with Section 41 and Section 58 statutory undertakings. Reporting the defect through the council creates a dated record — useful evidence if the pothole was reported before your incident, or if the council failed to repair it within a reasonable time.
Report a pothole to Walsall CouncilUse the council's online form via MyAccount. Keep your reference number and any confirmation emails.
Hit a pothole in Walsall?
A RED-rated best-practice council demands a well-built claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No four-year U-road survey argument
- • No RED best practice citation
- • No prior-report search
Professional claim pack
- ✅ RED best practice and 12% preventative spend cited
- ✅ Four-year U-road CVI survey gap argued
- ✅ 26% U-road RED trend and 27,025 fills documented
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Walsall
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently asked questions
Walsall spends more than its DfT allocation — can I still claim?
Yes. The DfT Spend scorecard is GREEN, but your claim turns on whether the specific defect that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and repaired under Section 58 — not on aggregate spending. Walsall's overall rating is AMBER because condition is AMBER and best practice is RED: preventative maintenance is projected at just 12% in 2025/26, U-road RED condition has risen from 20% to 26% since 2020, and the council estimates up to 5,000 potholes may need attention this year alone.
What does Walsall's RED best practice rating mean for my claim?
The DfT best practice scorecard measures preventative maintenance, treatment of deteriorating roads, and adoption of efficient repair methods. Walsall's own transparency report shows preventative spend falling from 17% in 2023/24 to a projected 12% in 2025/26, while reactive maintenance is projected at 28%. That is an official admission of a predominantly patch-and-fill programme — which strengthens arguments that defects can form and worsen between inspections.
What if my pothole was on a residential or unclassified road?
U-roads make up 697km — 82% of Walsall's 847km network. CVI surveys cover 25% of the unclassified network each year over a four-year cycle, so any given residential street may only receive a published condition survey once every four years. At the 2024 survey, 26% of U-roads were in RED condition — roughly 181km of estate and residential routes where the council's own data says maintenance should be considered.
Walsall's classified roads look fine — does that weaken my claim?
Not if your incident was on an unclassified road — which most borough claims are. Walsall's A-roads improved from 2.1% RED in 2020 to 1.5% in 2024, and B/C roads held at 1.1% RED, partly thanks to £5.2 million of Challenge Fund investment on heavily trafficked routes. But U-road RED condition rose every year in the same period, from 20% to 26%. The council itself distinguishes between classified-road gains and the residential network that makes up four-fifths of its carriageway.
Does the council's Velocity Patch programme help my claim?
It shows Walsall knows reactive repair is its default mode. The council brings in a specialist Velocity Patch contractor before and after the worst winter weather and states engineers believe it offers the fastest, most durable solution for meeting best-practice guidance on pothole intervention. That is a reactive technology deployed at scale — consistent with a RED best practice scorecard, not evidence that defects were prevented before they formed.
Walsall filled 5,122 potholes in 2024/25 — does that mean the roads are fixed?
No. The council filled 5,122 potholes in 2024/25 and estimates up to 5,000 may need attention in 2025/26 alone — while U-road RED condition hit 26%, the highest figure in five years of published CVI data. Reactive repair volume alongside rising RED percentages is evidence of a network producing defects faster than preventative works eliminate them.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Walsall Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (12 May 2025). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.