A new map allows you to see how good each local authority in England is at fixing potholes, with each one rated using a traffic light system.
Southwark has been rated Amber meaning it has ‘room for improvement’.
Most of London has been rated Amber, although Lewisham was the only inner London local authority to receive a Green rating which is good.
Greenwich was rated Red (bad) alongside Kensington and Chelsea.
The ratings show how effectively each of England’s 154 highway authorities are fixing potholes and investing in preventative measures to maintain their road network in the long term.
Those that scored Green, like Hillingdon and Lewisham, were able to demonstrate they are following best practice such as investing in more long-term preventative measures rather than just patching up potholes, while also maintaining good road conditions and investing significantly into improving local roads.
‘Amber’ ranked LHAs showed some of these qualities with room for improvement in individual areas, while those rated red are not yet meeting the expected standards in one or several areas measured by the ratings such as the current state of the roads, their plans for preventing potholes or investment into maintaining their local roads more widely.
The map was published ahead of National Pothole Day (January 15) and after the government announced £300 million funding for London local authorities to fix potholes and invest in long term measures to maintain roads.
On average the average vehicle repair bill from hitting potholes is around £320, with some motorists paying over £1,000 last year.
The red, amber, green ratings are based on three key areas: the condition of local roads, how much LHAs are spending on road repairs, and whether they are following best practice in maintaining highways.
To boost standards, local highway authorities (LHAs) currently rated red will receive dedicated support to bring them in line with best practices, backed by £300,000 worth of expert planning and capability assistance. The support programme will include peer reviews where sector experts will help improve processes and provide practical advice.
As an incentive to better roads, access to full future funding allocations will be linked to performance, ensuring LHAs are encouraged to get on with the job and use taxpayer money efficiently to repair and maintain their roads before potholes form.
To further ensure transparency from LHAs, 25% of local highway authorities’ £500 million funding uplift this financial year was withheld until they published transparency reports and set out how they comply with best practice. The withheld £125 million in funding was unlocked at the end of last year by councils which successfully submitted their reports.
And the government has also said it will extend the Live Labs 2 programme for another year which allows local authorities to access innovative approaches to road maintenance including uptake of longer-lasting, low-carbon materials for repairing roads faster, more efficiently and far less often.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “For too long drivers in London have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate. I have heard time and again their frustration on footing the bill because they hit a pothole – money they should never have to spend in the first place.
“We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding in London with £300 million to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have been asking for. Now it’s over to them to spend the money wisely, and for the first time we are making sure the public can see how well local highway authorities are doing in delivering the improvements they want to see in their local area.”
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “These new ratings are a positive move that will help drivers understand how councils are performing when it comes to improving the state of local roads. While there are examples of good road maintenance practice taking place, this isn’t consistent across the country and means drivers have for too long been left with substandard roads.
“We hope this initiative, plus the promise of longer-term funding for councils to allow them to plan and carry out much-needed preventative maintenance, means we’re finally on the way to having smoother, better roads.”
You can visit the map here