Bedford council must prove it is doing more to fix potholes under tough new government guidance
Bedford Borough Council will be required to publish updated information about the condition of its roads, pothole repairs and highways spending under tougher government transparency rules announced this week.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has introduced strengthened reporting requirements for local highway authorities as part of a £7.3 billion highways maintenance funding programme covering the period from 2026/27 to 2029/30.
In a letter sent to councils, the DfT said the new transparency reports are intended to help residents understand how highways funding is being spent and to allow the public to hold authorities to account for the condition of local roads.
The department said the reports would also be used to assess councils’ highway maintenance performance.
The government said the new requirements are designed to encourage authorities to move away from reactive repairs and towards preventative maintenance aimed at improving the long-term condition of roads.
The Department for Transport said it expects all local highway authorities in England to publish a Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report. To meet the department’s incentive funding and rating requirements, councils must publish the report on their website and submit a link to the DfT by September 10, 2026.
The report consists of a core report, intended as the main public-facing document, and a technical annex containing supporting information.
The department said information contained in the reports will be used to rate the performance of each authority’s highway maintenance activity.
The new requirements come after the DfT introduced a red, amber and green rating system for local highway authorities earlier this year.
According to the department’s published ratings for 2025/26, Bedford Borough Council is currently listed with an overall red rating.
Mayor Tom Wootton disputed the rating – but the Government defended it, saying it was a “snapshot in time” and based on information submitted by councils themselves.
The DfT says the ratings are based on three factors: road condition, highways maintenance spending and the adoption of highways maintenance best practice.
The department says the ratings are intended to help residents compare how councils maintain local roads.
Bedford Borough Council already publishes an annual highways maintenance transparency report on its website. The council’s most recent report states that 6,308 potholes were filled during 2024/25, compared with 6,032 the previous year.
The same report states that 1.6 per cent of Bedford’s classified A roads were in the category that should be considered for maintenance in 2025, compared with 1.9 per cent in 2024.
For classified B and C roads, the equivalent figure was 3.8 per cent in 2025, down from 5.1 per cent in 2024.
Bedford Borough Council was asked whether it was confident it would meet the new reporting requirements, whether the changes would affect its highways maintenance strategy and what the measures would mean for Bedford residents.
But despite repeated requests for comment, the council did not provide a statement before publication.
Central Bedfordshire Council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it manages road repairs in line with its network management maintenance plan, which sets out a “structured, risk-based approach” to maintaining the highway network.
Luton Borough Council said it welcomed the new transparency rules, was investing a record £7.2 million in road maintenance this year, and added that it is “well-placed” to meet these standards.