Highways maintenance transparency report 2026

Highways maintenance funding and spending figures

 Capital funding allocation sources

Financial year	2024-25	2025-26	2026-27 (projected)
Highways maintenance capital funding allocated through DfT	£3,300,000	£4,697,000	£8,014,659
Other DfT capital funding utilised by local authority for highways maintenance	£-	£1,000,000 LTG	£-
Other Government capital funding allocated by local authority to Highways Maintenance	£-	£-	£-
Other capital funding allocated to highways maintenance	£5,722,000	£4,982,000	£5,000,000
Total Capital funding allocated to highways maintenance	£9,022,000	£10,679,000	£13,014,659

Additional information on funding figures

The Council recognises the critical importance of a safe and reliable highway network for residents, businesses and the efficient movement of freight across the city. As a result, we seek to maximise investment from all available funding sources to improve network condition and resilience. In addition to Department for Transport allocations, including Local Transport Grant (LTG) and Local Transport Fund (LTF) funding, the Council has committed significant additional investment through its own capital programme and prudential borrowing arrangements. This blended funding approach enables the delivery of more extensive maintenance and improvement programmes, helping to address historic deterioration, support economic growth and reduce future maintenance liabilities.

Spending

Total spending

Financial year	2024-25	2025-26	2026-27 (projected)
Total highways maintenance capital spend	£9,022,000	£10,679,000	£13,014,659
Total highways maintenance revenue spend	£2,019,804	£1,629,976	£1,717,016
Total spend	£11,041,804	£12,308,976	£14,731,675

Spending on carriageways by type of spend in financial year 2025-26 and 2026-27 (projected)

Carriageway spend related maintenance type	Capital 2025-26	Revenue 2025-26	Capital 2026-27 (projected)	Revenue 2026-27 (projected)
Planned maintenance
Preventative carriageway maintenance	£2,650,000	£0	£3,462,000	£0
Structural carriageway maintenance	£5,005,000	£0	£5,600,000	£0
Planned carriageway repair / patching programmes	£549,000	£0	£600,000	£0
Reactive carriageway maintenance
Reactive carriageway repairs / patching (temporary repairs)	£0	£20,414	£0	£21,000
Reactive carriageway repairs / patching (permanent repairs)	£0	£241,687	£0	£245,000
Reactive carriageway repairs / patching (total)	£0	£ 262,101	£0	£266,000
Other carriageway‑related spend	£0	£1,367,875	£0	£1,451,016
Total	£8,204,000	£ 1,629,976	£9,662,000	£ 1,717,016

 

Additional information on spending on carriageways by type of spend

Other including Winter Maintenance 24 hour call out highway drainage, fabrication

 

Highway Maintenance Activity (Surface Treatments and Repairs)

Road resurfacing and surface treatments

Financial year	Road receiving preventative road surface treatments (length, km)	Road receiving planned structural maintenance (length, km)	Area receiving planned repair / patching programmes	Area receiving reactive repair / patching (permanent methods)	Area receiving reactive repairs/ patching (temporary methods)
2025-26	33 km	21km	27234m2	707m2	71m2
2026-27 projected	38km	22km	30000m2	n/a	n/a

 

Additional information on surface treatments and repairs

Does table B2.1 reflect all your carriageway-related road surface treatments & repair activities (for example, including pothole repairs)? If no, please add further information on any other types of treatments (planned to be) delivered and their extent in the table below.

no

 

Further information and context

In addition to the carriageway maintenance activities outlined above, Stoke-on-Trent City Council continually evaluates, trials and adopts innovative materials, technologies and repair techniques that have the potential to improve network resilience, extend asset life, reduce whole-life costs and minimise disruption to road users.

During 2026/27, this will include the continued use and assessment of proprietary pothole repair materials, hot-applied crack and joint sealing systems and deep recycling techniques that allow existing road materials to be reused in situ, reducing both material consumption and carbon emissions. These preventative maintenance treatments are designed to prevent water ingress, arrest deterioration at an earlier stage and maximise the service life of existing carriageways.

The Council is also developing more efficient delivery models through its "3-in-1" maintenance approach, whereby carriageway defects are repaired, road markings refreshed and highway gullies cleansed during a single site visit wherever practicable. This approach reduces network disruption, improves operational efficiency, minimises repeat traffic management and delivers better value for residents.

Performance data from these innovations will continue to be monitored and reviewed to ensure that proven technologies, materials and maintenance techniques are incorporated into future programmes where they demonstrate benefits in terms of cost-effectiveness, durability, carbon reduction and overall network resilience.

Image showing prep work using multiple methods including crack seal High PSV surfacing on approaches to crossing points traditional structural patches and propriety hot and cold mixt repair types

All prior to a dressing top coat to seal

Pothole repairs

Pothole/Defect intervention criteria

Pothole/Defect  category name (as used by your authority)	Minimum investigatory or definitional threshold (e.g. depth, area, width – include units)	Additional risk or contextual factors considered (e.g. road hierarchy, traffic levels, location in carriageway)	Target response time – make safe	Target response time – permanent repair
Carriageway Pot Hole	40mm	When undertaking inspections, the inspector will carry out a risk assessment on the defect and will consider the risk matrix and what risk the defect could pose. If the defect poses sufficient risk, the inspector can specify a repair and the priority to assign. Guidance on risk can be taken from factors to include understanding the location and the type of highway user that will encounter it.   A Highway Inspector’s on-site judgement will always need to take account of the particular circumstances that prevail. For example, the degree of risk from a pothole depends upon not merely its depth, but also on its surface area and location, and as such may warrant differing response times. When an inspection item is imminently approaching, has reached or is in excess of the investigatory level, the safety inspector should conduct a risk assessment in order to determine the appropriate level of response.	Emergency – Defects that pose an imminent and significant risk to the public – Aim to make safe within 4 hours.         Stoke-on-Trent City Council does not apply fixed timescales for making defects safe or undertaking permanent repairs. In accordance with the Well-managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice, the Council operates a risk-based approach to highway safety inspections and maintenance. Response times are determined based on the assessed risk presented by the defect, taking into account factors such as the nature and severity of the defect, its location, road hierarchy, traffic volumes, anticipated usage, vulnerability of users, and any other relevant site-specific circumstances. Where a defect is reported by a member of the public, an initial risk assessment may be undertaken using the information provided. Where necessary, a qualified Highway Inspector will attend site to assess the defect and determine the appropriate course of action. Following inspection, a risk-based response category will be assigned which will dictate the timescale for any temporary or permanent remedial action. As a result, response times can vary significantly depending on the circumstances of each individual defect. Defects presenting an immediate or significant risk to highway users may require urgent intervention, whereas lower-risk defects may be programmed into planned maintenance activities to ensure the most efficient use of available resources and best overall value for the highway network. This approach ensures that resources are targeted towards the defects posing the greatest risk to public safety whilst maintaining compliance with the Council's statutory duty to maintain the highway under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 and the principles of risk-based highway asset management.	Defects that do not pose an immediate danger and the location decreases the likelihood of an accident occurring – 90 Days Stoke-on-Trent City Council does not apply fixed timescales for making defects safe or undertaking permanent repairs. In accordance with the Well-managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice, the Council operates a risk-based approach to highway safety inspections and maintenance. Response times are determined based on the assessed risk presented by the defect, taking into account factors such as the nature and severity of the defect, its location, road hierarchy, traffic volumes, anticipated usage, vulnerability of users, and any other relevant site-specific circumstances. Where a defect is reported by a member of the public, an initial risk assessment may be undertaken using the information provided. Where necessary, a qualified Highway Inspector will attend site to assess the defect and determine the appropriate course of action. Following inspection, a risk-based response category will be assigned which will dictate the timescale for any temporary or permanent remedial action. As a result, response times can vary significantly depending on the circumstances of each individual defect. Defects presenting an immediate or significant risk to highway users may require urgent intervention, whereas lower-risk defects may be programmed into planned maintenance activities to ensure the most efficient use of available resources and best overall value for the highway network. This approach ensures that resources are targeted towards the defects posing the greatest risk to public safety whilst maintaining compliance with the Council's statutory duty to maintain the highway under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 and the principles of risk-based highway asset management.

Number of potholes filled

Number of potholes filled in 2025-26 (estimate)

2828

Of these how many do you estimate were resolved using each of the following approaches?

Planned repair / patching programmes	Planned structural maintenance programmes	Reactive repair using temporary repair methods	Reactive repair using permanent repair methods
[number, or no data held]	[number, or no data held]	285	2543

 

Additional information on numbers of potholes resolved, by treatment type

The Council records pothole repairs completed through reactive maintenance activities as either permanent or temporary repairs. In addition, a significant number of defects are removed from the network through planned carriageway maintenance and patching programmes, including resurfacing, reconstruction and larger-scale preventative treatments. Where planned maintenance is undertaken, individual defects within the treatment area are addressed as part of the wider scheme and are therefore considered resolved without the need for separate reactive intervention. This approach aligns with the Council’s asset management strategy, which prioritises preventative maintenance to improve network condition, reduce future pothole formation and deliver better long-term value for money.

CAUTION FOR READERS – Authorities have different criteria for identifying potholes and different methodologies for counting how many they have filled or resolved. Summing the figures in the above table across authorities will therefore not provide a reliable estimate of the total number of potholes filled across England.

Prices of pothole interventions

Unit/average cost of a permanent pothole repair on your network (reactive)

£95.04

Unit/average cost of a temporary pothole repair on your network (reactive)

£71.63

Additional information on pothole prices

The prices provided above are based on completing a pothole repair using a two-operative team with a 7.5-tonne vehicle, including all necessary light plant, ancillary tools, and equipment. Costs are based on a typical defect size of 1m² at 100mm depth. Works include basic Chapter 8 traffic management (up to give-and-take), provision of materials such as asphalt and tack coat, and burn-on over banding to enhance durability. Costs also cover PPE, staff training, and the management and disposal of any associated waste.

Defect repair quality

 

ID	Question	Yes/No
3.4.1	Do you set requirements to those delivering repairs about the longevity of both a) planned repairs/patching and b) reactive repairs using permanent methods?	Yes
3.4.2	If yes, do you base your material and process specifications on these longevity requirements?	No
3.4.3	Do you regularly monitor the appropriateness of the carriageway interventions chosen by your workforce or contractor and the quality of work delivered?	Yes
3.4.4	If yes, do you systematically record information about expected and delivered longevity of repairs?	No

 

Evidence Summary

The Council delivers highway repairs through an in-house workforce, adopting a “right first time” approach focused on permanent solutions. Reactive and planned repairs are undertaken in accordance with the Specification for the Reinstatement of Openings in Highways (SROH), with additional over-banding applied to enhance durability. Investment in specialist equipment, such as the Pothole Pro, enables efficient delivery of larger-scale, longer-lasting repairs on a planned basis. Although formal material specifications are not set, the Council actively monitors repair methods, material performance, and workmanship quality to ensure appropriate interventions are selected and that standards are consistently maintained across the network.

Public reporting system for defects and other issues

ID	Question	Answer
	Are defect reports from the public routinely used as an input into maintenance planning and inspection regimes?	Yes
	Do you inform users about the outcomes from their feedback, including when no action is to be taken?	Yes

 

Evidence Summary

The Council actively uses public defect reports submitted via its online JADU system as a key input into maintenance planning and inspection programmes. Reports are automatically integrated into the Brightly Confirm asset management system, enabling efficient prioritisation, investigation, and response. This ensures that community intelligence directly informs service delivery and risk-based decision making. The Council provides feedback to users on the outcome of their reports, including where no action is required, helping to manage expectations and maintain transparency. This approach encourages ongoing public engagement while supporting continuous improvement in highway maintenance and customer communication processes.

Tools used for reporting

The City Council uses an online reporting form (JADU) for Resident-submitted highway defects. Reports submitted through JADU are automatically integrated into the Highway Asset Management System (Brightly – Confirm), enabling efficient tracking, assessment, and response to identified issues.

 

Maintenance of highway structures

Highway Structures

ID	Question	Answer
	Number of highway structures on your highway network
	Number of highway structures with interim measures in accordance with CS470 applied?
	Number of structures due a General Inspection in 2025-26 in accordance with CS450
	Number of General Inspections carried out in 2025-26
	Number of structures due a Principal Inspection in 2025-26 in accordance with CS450
	Number of Principal Inspections carried out in 2025-26

 

Evidence Summary

The Council manages a range of highway structures including highway bridges, retaining walls, culverts and highway embankments that are essential to the safe and efficient operation of the transport network. These assets are maintained through a risk-based asset management approach, with structures subject to cyclical inspections in accordance with national guidance and local risk assessments. Inspection findings are recorded within the Council's asset management systems and used to prioritise maintenance, strengthening and renewal works. Defects are assessed based on their impact on structural integrity, public safety, serviceability and network resilience, ensuring available resources are targeted towards assets presenting the greatest risk.

Asset Management

This section focuses on asset management practices that underpin how the authority plans, prioritises and delivers highways maintenance. It is intended to provide confidence that decisions are evidence led, risk based and aligned to whole life value, in line with the Code of Practice for Well Managed Highways Infrastructure.

B5.1 - Asset Management Strategy and Policy

The questions in this section (B5.1) relate to the asset management condition set out in the 2026–27 local highways maintenance incentive funding requirements. Completion of this section forms part of the evidence required to meet this incentive funding condition.

5.1.1

Please confirm that you understand the answers provided in this section (B5.1) relate to your compliance under the 2026-27 local highways maintenance incentive funding requirements, as set out to your authority via letter to your chief executive in April and as published online.

Yes

5.1.2	Please provide a link to your authority’s published highways asset management policy and strategy. Link
	HAMP 2022

5.1.3

Please provide the date it was last reviewed or updated

Date 2022

5.1.4	Please provide proof of the review or update.
	We are currently reviewing our HAMP in line with the shortly to be published well managed Highways review 2026 and will align our HAMP with recommendations in this new COP
5.1.5	If your asset management policy or strategy has not been reviewed or updated since 1 August 2024, please confirm that it will be reviewed or updated by 30 September 2027 and provide a brief timetable for doing so.
	The Highway Asset Management Plan (HAMP) will be refreshed during 2026/27 to ensure continued alignment with the principles of the Well-managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice, current service priorities and emerging funding requirements. Following completion of the ongoing asset management review, a revised draft HAMP will be finalised by November 2026. The document will then be subject to review by senior management, with final approval sought from the Corporate Director and Cabinet Member in January 2027. Following completion of governance requirements and publication preparations, the updated HAMP will be formally published in March 2027.

B5.1.6 - Further context (optional)

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is currently reviewing and updating its Highway Asset Management Plan (HAMP) to ensure it reflects current best practice, emerging technologies and the latest national guidance. This review is being undertaken alongside consideration of the forthcoming Well-managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice Review 2026, which is expected to shape future approaches to highway asset management across the sector. The updated HAMP will strengthen our risk-based, evidence-led approach to maintaining highway assets, ensuring investment is targeted where it delivers the greatest benefit to network users. It will incorporate developments in asset management, data collection and digital technologies, including the use of AI-enabled inspections, enhanced asset intelligence and improved decision-making tools. The review will also consider emerging maintenance techniques and materials, including the expanded use of proprietary crack sealing and joint repair systems, preventative maintenance treatments, deep recycling and other sustainable engineering solutions that support whole-life asset management. In response to changing climatic conditions and the prolonged periods of hot weather experienced during recent summers, the Council will continue to review its choice of asphalt binders and surfacing materials to improve network resilience and performance. The refreshed HAMP will ensure our policies, strategies and maintenance practices continue to support safe, resilient and sustainable highways whilst delivering best value for residents and taxpayers.

 

Key aspects of highways asset management approach

Asset data 

Asset type	Asset inventory held? (None / partial / full)	Condition data held? (None / Partial / Full)
Carriageways	Full	Partial
Footways and cycleways	Full	Full
Structures	Full	Full
Drainage assets	Partial	Partial
Street lighting	Current PFI (full through the provider)	Current PFI (full through the provider)
Traffic signals	Full	Full

 

 

Further context

Stoke-on-Trent City Council uses a range of asset condition and inventory data to support evidence-based highway maintenance decisions and ensure investment is targeted where it delivers the greatest benefit. Asset condition information is collected through nationally recognised surveys, routine safety inspections, detailed condition assessments and defect reporting from residents and stakeholders.

The Council maintains asset inventories covering carriageways, footways, street lighting, traffic signals, drainage assets, structures and other highway infrastructure. This information is held within dedicated asset management systems and is regularly reviewed and updated to support lifecycle planning, risk assessment and annual investment programmes.

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we are introducing AI-enabled highway inspections to supplement traditional survey techniques and provide more frequent, objective and consistent condition data. This will improve our understanding of network condition and deterioration trends, enabling earlier intervention and more effective use of available funding.

We are also reviewing our Highway Asset Management Plan in line with PAS 2161 and the forthcoming Well-managed Highway Infrastructure Review 2026 to ensure asset management decisions continue to be based on robust, current and reliable data. This approach supports a proactive maintenance strategy focused on preserving assets, improving network resilience and delivering best value for residents.

Asset data integration and management

Asset data integration

Discrete spreadsheets or documents held by individual teams
Multiple digital platforms with limited integration
A single digital platform or a set of connected platforms used across the highways service	X
Other (please set out in further context)

Further context

Stoke-on-Trent City Council uses Brightly (formerly Pitney Bowes) Confirm as its primary highway asset management system. Confirm is used to manage and integrate asset inventory, condition data, proactive maintenance programmes, reactive defect repairs and street works activities within a single platform.

The system provides a central repository for highway asset information, enabling asset inventories, inspection records, condition data, defect reports and maintenance history to be linked geographically and managed consistently across the service. This allows condition and performance information to be used to support lifecycle planning, risk-based decision making and investment prioritisation.

Data collected through inspections, customer reports, condition surveys and operational activities is integrated within Confirm to inform annual maintenance programmes and day-to-day operational decisions. The Council is also introducing AI-enabled highway inspections to enhance the quality, frequency and accuracy of asset condition data available within the system.

This integrated approach supports a more mature asset management methodology, ensuring maintenance funding is targeted where it will deliver the greatest benefit, reduce whole-life costs and improve the overall resilience of the highway network.

Lifecycle planning and investment decision‑making

ID	Question	Yes / No
5.4.1	Do you use lifecycle plans for carriageways to support maintenance investment decisions?	Yes
5.4.2	Do you use lifecycle plans for footways to support maintenance investment decisions?	Yes
5.4.3	Do you use lifecycle plans for structures to support investment decisions?	Yes

Evidence Summary

Stoke-on-Trent City Council uses a lifecycle planning approach to inform highway maintenance investment decisions, ensuring that available funding is directed towards the right treatment at the right time. Asset condition data, inspection records, deterioration modelling and lifecycle planning principles are used to identify when preventative maintenance, resurfacing or reconstruction will provide the most cost-effective outcome.

Investment decisions are not based solely on reactive demand or individual defect reports. The Council operates a prioritisation matrix that considers asset condition, network hierarchy, traffic volumes, safety considerations, strategic importance and the role of routes within the city's resilient network. This ensures that key transport corridors, public transport routes and critical infrastructure receive appropriate consideration when maintenance programmes are developed. To support long-term decision making, the Council develops and regularly reviews an Highway Infrastructure Investment Strategy which is presented to Cabinet for approval. The strategy uses lifecycle planning outputs, asset condition data and funding forecasts to model a range of investment scenarios, including maintaining current funding levels, achieving a steady-state asset condition, reducing the maintenance backlog and improving overall network condition. Each scenario assesses the long-term impact on asset performance, customer outcomes, network resilience and whole-life costs. This enables elected members to make informed decisions regarding funding priorities and investment levels, ensuring that available resources are directed towards the strategy that delivers the greatest value and best outcomes for residents, businesses and road users.

The Council prioritises preventative maintenance wherever possible to maximise asset life, reduce whole-life costs and minimise future disruption. This approach is supported by our asset management system, risk-based decision making processes and ongoing investment in improved asset data and condition monitoring technologies. By balancing reactive maintenance with planned lifecycle interventions, we seek to achieve the greatest long-term benefit from available funding while maintaining a safe and reliable highway network. For example This year we introduced a revised surface dressing binder specifically designed to perform better during periods of extreme heat. Despite the prolonged hot weather experienced this summer, we have seen very little evidence of fatting up or aggregate plucking, demonstrating the benefits of continually reviewing and adapting our materials and maintenance practices to improve network resilience.

Performance monitoring and continuous improvement

ID	Question	Answer
5.5.1	Do you have a defined set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor the outcomes of your highways asset management approach?	Yes
5.5.2	Are these KPIs reviewed on a regular basis (at least annually)?	Yes
5.5.3	Are KPI trends used to inform maintenance planning, prioritisation or changes to forward programmes or investment decisions?	Yes
5.5.4	Have you conducted a value for money review or peer review of your service in the last 3 years	Yes

 

Evidence Summary

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has an established framework of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor the effectiveness of its highway asset management approach and ensure that investment delivers measurable outcomes. These KPIs are reviewed regularly through quarterly performance reporting and are used to inform maintenance planning, programme development and future investment decisions and are published annually.

Key strategic performance measures include:

• Number of reactive highway defects repaired.
• Number of potholes repaired.
• Total square metres of highway repairs completed.
• Average time taken to complete repairs.
• Miles/kilometres of highway reconditioned through planned maintenance programmes.

Performance trends are analysed to identify areas of success, opportunities for improvement and emerging risks across the network. This information helps shape future maintenance programmes and ensures resources are targeted where they will deliver the greatest benefit.

The Council has also undertaken service reviews and benchmarking activity within the last three years to assess value for money, operational efficiency and service performance. This commitment to continuous improvement supports our asset management objectives and helps ensure we deliver a safe, resilient and cost-effective highway network for residents, businesses and visitors.