Government-mandated MOT of Derbyshire’s roads shows a declining proportion of well maintained routes

The pothole in Littlewell Lane, Stanton, which damaged John Tagg's Mercedes in March this year.

A new Government-mandated MOT of Derbyshire’s roads has been published, showing a declining proportion of well maintained routes around the county.

Derbyshire County Council’s newly-published highways maintenance transparency report – which has to be published each year as ordered by central Government – shows the current state of the area’s roads and its planned repairs.

Statistics in the report are based on assessments earlier this year, with officials saying this would not account for works carried out during the summer – when councils typically make most of their maintenance headway.

The aim of the reports is to provide direct and open accountability for road repairs – including potholes – and to allow comparison between areas.

Derbyshire has continued to use a different assessment system to analyse road repairs, a matter which the Department for Transport has previously said was a breach of Government guidelines and which makes comparison difficult, with caution to be exercised.

The county council’s analysis method shows the percentage of A roads rated “red” and in “poor condition” has increased slightly from 28 per cent to 29 per cent (nearly a third); B and C roads increasing from 38 per cent to 43 per cent; and unclassified roads (such as residential streets) holding at 36 per cent.

These council statistics show a declining condition in routes, with more becoming red rated, the lowest condition rating ascribed by the authority itself.

They show a mixed bag for the proportion of roads rated as “green”, in “good” condition, increasing from 13 per cent to 16 per cent for A roads but dropping from seven per cent to six per cent for B and C roads, with no status other than red provided for unclassified routes.

When using the same method of analysis used by most other councils, and which will be mandated by Government from April next year – in time for the following MOT – the council shows significantly fewer routes rated as “green”, but also a marked reduction in “red” routes.

The report shows just 18.6 per cent of A roads are rated “green” for “good” down from 62.8 per cent and 12.1 per cent of B and C roads down from 45.3 per cent.

Its current level of green routes for unclassified roads is 15.5 per cent, with no comparison available in last year’s report, which just documented the “red” status for “very poor” routes.

The “very poor” route proportions are listed as just 0.2 per cent for A roads, down from 6.2 per cent; 0.1 per cent for B and C roads, down from 3.2 per cent; and 0.6 per cent of unclassified routes, down from 12.8 per cent.

Within the assessment criteria which will be enforced on the council from next April, most of its A roads are rated “pre-amber” (between green and amber) and “amber”; B and C roads are mostly amber and pre-amber; and the majority of unclassified roads are amber and pre-amber.

Meanwhile, the council says it filled an estimated 66,784 potholes in the 2025-2026 financial year, less than the previous data listed of 80,254 in 2023-2024, with the authority saying there was no accurate data between November 2023 and March 2025.

The new report shows the council aims to carry out 13.4 miles of resurfacing over the current financial year ending next April, alongside 85 miles of surface dressing, 11 miles of micro-asphalt treatment, five miles of “asphalt rejuvenation”, renew 5.4 miles of footways and apply preventative slurry seal treatments to 9.1 miles of footways.

It details an aim to spend £77 million on highways maintenance over the current financial year, with £37.5 million coming from the Government, £20.5 million from additional highways funding from the council or third parties, and £19.1 million from the council’s day-to-day spending.

Of the £77.2 million, £45.6 million is to be spent on roads, £7.2 million on drainage, £6.5 million on structures such as bridges and tunnels, £4.3 million on footways, £3.4 million on street lighting and £10.1 million on other council highways assets.