The State of UK Road MaintenanceA Council-by-Council Breakdown
The Department for Transport has rated every local highway authority in England. The results reveal a stark picture: 13 councils are failing, while the majority show room for improvement.
Why This Matters For Your Claim
When councils reject pothole damage claims, their most common defence is:"We had no prior knowledge of this defect."
But if a council is rated RED or AMBER by the Department for Transport, it proves they're not investing adequately in road maintenance and inspections. This makes their "we didn't know" defence much harder to sustain.
Mac automatically includes your council's DfT rating in your claim pack, giving you powerful evidence to strengthen your case.
📊 How Ratings Are Calculated
- 1Road Condition
Current state of A, B/C and unclassified roads
- 2Spend Score
How much councils invest in maintenance vs their allocation
- 3Best Practice
Adoption of innovation, decarbonisation, and footway maintenance
Source: Department for Transport
The Full Breakdown
Every local highway authority in England, grouped by their overall DfT rating. Find your council and see how they're performing.
Understanding the Scorecards
Combined score across all metrics
Current state of local roads
Investment in maintenance
Innovation & efficiency
£7.3 Billion at Stake
To access their full share of the government's £7.3 billion highways maintenance funding (2026/27 to 2029/30), councils must continue publishing transparency reports and demonstrate compliance with best practice.
Red-rated councils will receive dedicated government support to improve their processes. This creates a paper trail that further undermines their ability to claim ignorance of road defects.
Read the full DfT guidanceHit a pothole? Check your council's rating.
Mac automatically includes this data in your claim pack — giving you the evidence you need to hold your council accountable.
Data source: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026. Published 11 January 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.