Local authorities across England will be required to publicly demonstrate how effectively they maintain their roads under new government guidance designed to improve transparency, reduce repeat pothole repairs and encourage long-term highway asset management.

The new reporting framework, announced by the Department for Transport, will require councils to publish detailed information on road maintenance performance, resurfacing programmes and preventative maintenance activity, allowing residents to compare how their local authority is managing its highway network.

Greater accountability for road maintenance performance

For the first time, councils will be expected to provide clear evidence of how they are repairing roads and what measures they are taking to prevent potholes from reoccurring.

The government hopes the new transparency requirements will shift the focus away from short-term patch repairs and towards preventative maintenance strategies that extend asset life and improve overall road condition.

The reports, due to be published in September 2026, will enable road users to see how effectively their local authority is maintaining roads and how much resurfacing work is planned across the network.

Funding linked to compliance

The new requirements are backed by significant financial incentives.

Councils that fail to publish the required reports or demonstrate compliance with the new guidance risk losing almost one-third of their highways maintenance allocation for the current financial year.

The move builds on measures announced earlier this year, under which up to £524 million of highways funding could be withheld from authorities unable to meet government expectations on road maintenance delivery and accountability.

£7.3 billion investment to support road improvements

The reporting requirements sit alongside a record £7.3 billion package of long-term road maintenance funding aimed at helping local authorities tackle deteriorating road conditions and reduce the backlog of repairs.

The government has stated that future investment should prioritise preventative maintenance, full resurfacing schemes and asset management approaches that reduce the need for repeated interventions.

With pothole-related vehicle damage frequently costing motorists hundreds of pounds per incident, improving the quality and longevity of repairs remains a key objective.

Updated RAG ratings to measure performance

The guidance will also be used to update the government’s Red, Amber and Green (RAG) performance ratings for local authorities.

Authorities achieving green status will be those able to demonstrate best practice in areas such as:

• Preventative highway maintenance
• Long-term asset management
• Planned resurfacing programmes
• Data-driven investment decisions
• Reduction in repeat repairs

The ratings are intended to provide greater visibility of performance and help identify where additional support or intervention may be required.

Industry supports shift towards preventative maintenance

The guidance has been developed in collaboration with local authorities and industry organisations, including the Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG) and the UK Roads Leadership Group Asset Management Board.

Industry leaders have broadly welcomed the move, arguing that improved performance reporting and better data will help target investment more effectively while supporting more resilient road networks.

The framework also places greater emphasis on innovation, decarbonisation and lifecycle asset management, reflecting wider changes across the highways sector.

Focus on long-term network resilience

The announcement reinforces a growing industry consensus that preventative maintenance delivers better outcomes than repeated reactive repairs.

By encouraging authorities to invest in resurfacing, preservation treatments and proactive asset management, the government aims to improve road quality, reduce disruption for road users and ensure public funding delivers greater long-term value.

As councils prepare to publish their first reports later this year, the new framework is expected to play an increasingly important role in shaping how road maintenance performance is measured and funded across England.