Rachel has said Warwickshire must improve its performance filling in potholes after Warwickshire County Council received an amber rating for its performance on potholes, under new Government traffic-light assessments of local highway authorities.
The rating, published as part of a nationwide review of road maintenance, signals that while some work is being done, the condition of roads across Warwickshire is still falling short of what residents and motorists should reasonably expect.
Potholes have become a familiar frustration for drivers across the county, with many reporting vehicle damage, delays and growing concerns about safety. The amber rating reflects those concerns and highlights the gap between increased national funding and the on-the-ground experience of road users.
The Government says it is backing councils with record investment, having doubled the annual roads budget and committed £7.3 billion in long-term funding to fix local roads. The aim is to give councils the certainty needed to move away from short-term, reactive pothole repairs and towards preventative maintenance that stops roads from deteriorating in the first place.
Last year Warwickshire received an additional £6.7 million in government funding to fill in potholes, with the national potholes budget set to double by the time of the next general election.
However, ministers have made clear that funding alone is not enough. Effective local management is also being measured, with the new ratings designed to show residents how well their council is performing compared with others.
In response to the amber rating, the Government has offered Warwickshire County Council access to fully funded support, including expert peer reviews and planning assistance from experienced highways professionals, in a programme backed by the RAC. The support is intended to help councils improve performance and deliver better results for road users.
Despite the rating, Warwickshire County Council has still been allocated funding to tackle potholes and improve road conditions across the county. Local MPs say they will be closely watching how that money is spent and whether residents see real improvements.
Responding to the rating, the Labour MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth, Rachel Taylor MP, said:
The state of Warwickshire’s roads is one of the issues raised with me most frequently by constituents, after years of Conservative austerity left them in a shocking condition. When Reform UK won the local elections last year, they promised improvements in Warwickshire, but so far I am yet to see progress, despite record levels of government funding. Reform need to grip this problem and finally get our potholed roads fixed.
For many drivers in Warwickshire, the amber rating confirms what they experience daily: that progress is being made, but not fast enough. The coming months will show whether increased funding and additional support can finally bring the county’s roads up to standard.