WORCESTERSHIRE County Council will face new rules on how they spend funding to fix potholes and maintain local roads, as the Government sets out new requirements to ensure taxpayers see real improvements.
Under the new measures, local highway authorities which fail to demonstrate they are maintaining roads effectively could lose around a third of their £1.6billion funding for the next year.
Pothole damage already costs the average driver around £500 in avoidable repairs at a time when every pound in people’s pockets matters, and the Government said it is determined to ease that financial burden by ensuring councils fix roads properly.
The changes will ensure that record investment in local roads is used as intended, with a total of £525million held back from councils across England unless they are transparent and prove they are performing.
Councils must publish reports proving they are spending all of their highways cash purely on road maintenance, showing long-term plans for looking after roads and better training for their highways teams.
These new measures mean taxpayers know exactly where their money is going and will start to see smoother roads and an end to the pothole plague.
Roads and Buses Minister, Simon Lightwood, said: “Drivers deserve smooth, safe journeys, and we’re making sure every pound goes straight into fixing roads and tackling potholes, not being spent elsewhere.
“Potholes aren’t just an inconvenience – they cost drivers hundreds, if not more every time they cause damage to a vehicle. Fixing our roads is one of the most impactful things we can do to reduce the cost of owning and driving a car, and we’re making sure every pound goes straight into doing exactly that.
“We’ve made it crystal clear, that councils which fail to maintain their roads will now risk losing up to a third of their funding.
“And for the first time, we’re giving councils multi-year funding so they can plan properly and reverse a decade of decline in our roads.”
This follows the Government’s first of a kind red, amber or green ratings to grade 154 local highway authorities (LHA) based on current road condition and how effectively they are spending the Government’s record £7.3billion funding.
This includes a map showing the public how well councils are doing in delivering the improvements they want to see in their local area.
A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said: “Worcestershire’s highways are managed using a balanced, risk‑based approach to maintenance.
“An overall Green rating in the Department for Transport’s national assessment (2025/26) confirms that this approach meets recognised best practice.
“ We will look at any potential implications once the full details of the scheme are confirmed.”
