Rotherham Council named one of the best-performing councils in the country for pothole repairs

Rotherham Council has been named one of the best-performing councils in the country for pothole repairs and road condition according to new information released by the Government

Earlier this week, the Government introduced a new ‘traffic light’ system to assess councils on highways performance. The scorecards measure overall road condition, the level of local investment into highways maintenance and the extent to which councils follow best practice. Authorities are ranked green for the strongest performance, amber for adequate performance and red where improvement is required.

Rotherham is one of only three local authorities in England to receive a green rating across all three categories, placing the borough among the very best nationally.

The recognition follows investment in the road network, with £39 million invested between 2015 and 2024 and a further £16 million committed to the Rotherham Roads Programme through to 2028.

Rotherham Council say the investment has led to a significant reduction in potholes. In 2014/15, around 34,000 potholes were repaired across the borough. By comparison, only 12,951 potholes had required repair so far in 2025/26 as of December last year, meaning the annual figure is on track to have more than halved since the investment began.

Road condition data also shows Rotherham performing better than the national average across all categories. Just 2.24% of the borough’s A road network requires repair, compared with the national average of 4%. Meanwhile, 2.27% of B and C roads need repair, significantly lower than the national average of 7%. Latest figures also show that only 8.72% of Rotherham’s 774km unclassified road network requires repair, compared with 17% nationally.

Cllr Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council, said: “Nobody likes potholes – they’re frustrating for drivers and they can damage vehicles – so we made it a priority to tackle the problem head-on to make sure Rotherham’s roads are safe to drive on.  

“Over the last decade, we’ve invested £55 million into improving the borough’s roads, and that’s why we’re now ranked among the best in the country. You can see the difference – 10 years ago we were repairing more than 30,000 potholes a year, now that number has more than halved because the roads themselves are in better condition.  

“It’s not just about quick fixes; it’s about making sure our roads are built to last, and that’s what this investment is delivering.” 

“Nobody likes potholes – they can be dangerous for drivers and other road users, and they leave areas looking neglected – which is why we made it a priority to tackle the issue head-on. It’s good to see this recognised in these latest government statistics. 

“What this doesn’t mean of course is that there are no problems. Industry analysis suggests there is a £17 billion backlog of resurfacing works to roads right across the country, and Rotherham is not exempt from that.  

“But what the numbers do show is that the additional local investment of £55 million we’ve made into improving the borough’s roads, in addition to the national block grant funding we receive, has moved us firmly in the right direction. This year alone we will resurface 200 roads. 10 years ago there were more than 30,000 potholes reported each year, now that number has more than halved. When many other parts of the country have not made that investment, Rotherham’s roads are now in better condition than the national average. 

“Finally, the Department for Transport analysis recognises that we are intervening earlier to stop road surfaces worsening, including using what is known as “surface dressing” to extend the life of the road surface, so we’re also getting the best value for the taxpayer.”