Opponents claim the council has ‘failed to deliver for Leicestershire residents’
Leicestershire County Council has received a ‘red’ rating by the Department for Transport(Image: Getty)
Leicestershire County Council has been given a ‘red’ rating by the Government in regards to highways maintenance and potholes.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has released a new traffic light system which shows how each council is performing in regards to highway maintenance and repairs.
It comes after the Government promised local authorities £7.3 billion of highway maintenance funding within the next four years. Leicestershire County Council is one of 13 councils that have received the lowest ‘red’ rating, which is based on three criteria.
The criteria by which councils are judged include the condition of local roads, the amount of money councils are spending on road repairs, and whether they are following best practices in maintaining highways.
According to documents seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the county council received an amber rating for road condition, a red rating for the amount of money the council is spending from the government funding, and an amber rating for best practices.
Due to the red rating, the county council will also receive £300,000 of additional funding for “expert planning and capability assistance”.
Other ‘red’ councils across the country include Bedford, Bolton, Cumberland, neighbouring Derbyshire, Greenwich, Kensington and Chelsea, North Lincolnshire, Slough, Suffolk, Waltham Forest, West Northamptonshire and Westmorland and Furness.
In August 2025, Leicestershire County Council announced a major £3m programme to protect Leicestershire’s roads. The scheme involved approximately 11,500 tonnes of stone chippings and bitumen being applied to county roads, which were completed in September last year.
Despite the rating, Reform UK bosses at Leicestershire County Council have stated that the red rating is due to the council’s reporting of its spending.
Councillor Adam Tilbury, lead member for highways and transport, said: “The ‘red rating’ was for one of three areas we were assessed on and relates to how we reported spending on maintenance, not the quality of our roads or the way we look after them.
“We may have interpreted the spending question too narrowly and will be speaking to the DfT to clarify our position and response.
Potholes can be extremely damaging to cars(Image: Christ Gordon/Reach PLC)
“The latest National Highways Transport Network (NHT) survey places us in the top 25% of comparable authorities for satisfaction with road conditions and we’ll continue to work hard to deliver high standards for residents.”
Labour group leader on Leicestershire County Council, Jewel Miah, said: “Our council has received record funding from this Labour Government to tackle potholes, yet Reform is failing at turning that cash into change on our roads.
“Residents deserve an explanation as to why the council isn’t taking action and is costing drivers hundreds of pounds to repair their cars.”
Conservative county council opposition leader Deborah Taylor said: “It is deeply disappointing that, despite receiving an extra £8 million in funding for 2025/26, Reform UK has failed to deliver for Leicestershire residents.
“Our county has been rated ‘Red’ under the Government’s new road maintenance scorecard, meaning our roads are in poor condition and potholes remain a serious problem.
“What’s worse, fewer potholes are being filled each month since Reform UK took control, leaving drivers to suffer the consequences with costly car repairs and daily frustration. Residents deserve better than broken promises and broken roads.”
The Department for Transport has been contacted for comment.
