County's pothole map rating criticised by council

A new government pothole map that rated a county's roads as not meeting expected standards has been criticised by a council.

Drivers in England can now see how local authorities are tackling potholes via a new mapping tool and traffic light rating system from the Department for Transport (DfT).

Suffolk was given a red rating as it has not been meeting standards in one of several areas measured, but the county council believed there were inaccuracies in the data.

The Department for Transport said the suggestion it had mishandled or ignored data was "categorically untrue".

The DfT rated 154 local highway authorities as red, amber or green based on road conditions, following best practice and how well they were using government funds.

Suffolk was red overall alongside other local authorities such as Bedford, West Northamptonshire, North Lincolnshire and Bolton.

However a spokesperson for Suffolk Highways said on a breakdown of the figures, it had rated it amber on road condition and following best practice, but red on spending money resulting in the overall red rating.

The council said it would be raising the issue with DfT.

"All highways maintenance funding received from government is fully invested in Suffolk's highways network, including fixing potholes and resurfacing roads," the spokesperson added.

"This is why Suffolk has continued to receive all of the funding it expected this year, including incentive fund elements linked to performance," they said.

The council highlighted that government data from December 2024 showed the county had been outperforming national averages for road conditions on A, B and C roads.

Overall the data showed the entire road network had consistently improved since 2011.

The DfT said the council received its rating as it had not spent its full capital grant for highways maintenance, spending only £36.4m of £43.7m in 2025-26.

"We are shining a light of transparency on the work of councils to fix roads and end the pothole plague," the DfT spokesperson said.

"The suggestion that the department has mishandled or ignored data is categorically untrue. The ratings follow a clear, published methodology using data from official statistics that local authorities provided themselves," they added.

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