Local highways maintenance transparency report
The Department for Transport expects all local highways authorities to publish information about their highways maintenance activities to help local taxpayers see the difference that funding is making in their areas.
Our highway network
West Northamptonshire Council is the highway authority for highway assets on the local road network and is responsible for managing and maintaining the network as shown in the table below. Highway assets include carriageways, footways and cycleways, verges, highway drainage, highway bridges and structures, traffic signs, road markings, traffic signals and public rights of way.
The strategic highway network of motorway and trunk roads (M1, M45, A5, A14 and A43) are the responsibility of National Highways to manage and maintain, so are not included within these figures.
| A Road | B and C Roads | U roads | Total Roads | Footways | Other Public rights of way | Cycleways |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 287.21km | 726.04km | 1475.91km | 2489.16km | 2270.00km | 1934.90km | Included within other sections |
In addition, there are 1404 highway bridges and structures that West Northamptonshire Council is responsible for maintaining.
Street lighting and illuminated signs and bollards are managed and maintained for West Northamptonshire Council by Balfour Beatty Living Places, under a PFI contractual arrangement.
Highways maintenance spending figures
The table below shows the capital funds allocated by Department of Transport each year, alongside both the capital and revenue spend.
The percentage spend on preventative maintenance is based on the amount spent on surface dressing, micro asphalt and retexturing treatments. These are treatments that are used to extend the life of the asset.
Reactive maintenance covers work that is needed to repair assets, such as filling potholes.
| Year | Capital allocated by DfT | Capital spend | Revenue spend | Estimate of % spent on preventative maintenance | Estimate of % spent on reactive maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 (projected) | £14,618 | £14,618 | £6,484 | 16% | 38% |
| 2024/25 | £12,026 | £24,101 | £4,002 | 4% | 41% |
| 2023/24 | £13,923 | £19,088 | £2,958 | 14% | 38% |
| 2022/23 | £10,669 | £9,801 | £4,823 | 7% | 37% |
| 2021/22 | *N/A | £0 | £0 | % | % |
| 2020/21 | *N/A | £0 | £0 | % | % |
- * West Northamptonshire Council became a Unitary Authority in April 2021 and individual funding allocations for North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire were first made in April 2022.
Additional information on spending
Highway maintenance spend is used for reactive repairs, routine and cyclic works programmes along with longer term planned repairs including:
- Carriageway resurfacing programmes
- Preventative treatments including surfacing dressing and micro asphalt
- Planned patching programmes
- Bridges and structures maintenance and repairs
- Reactive and emergency repairs including pothole filling
- Cyclical maintenance including grass cutting, road drainage gully cleansing
- Traffic signs and road marking replacement
- Traffic signal and pedestrian crossing maintenance
Potholes remain as the defect that is most reported through our customer reporting tool Fix My Street. In addition to customer reporting, we also carry out regular inspections on the highway to identify any safety repairs that are needed.
The table below shows the estimated number of repairs that have been completed over the last 5 years.
| Year | Estimated number of potholes filled |
|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 14849** |
| 2023/24 | 14574** |
| 2022/23 | 12300 |
| 2021/22 | 13605 |
| 2020/21 | 14769 |
Condition of local roads
The following tables show the overall condition of the local highway network that West Northamptonshire Council is responsible for maintaining. This data is collected on an annual basis.
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4.20% | 61.20% | 34.60% |
| 2021 | 5.50% | 64.90% | 29.50% |
| 2022 | 5.90% | 68.60% | 25.50% |
| 2023 | 4.87% | 72.55% | 22.58% |
| 2024 | 4.00% | 72.82% | 23.18% |
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 14.40% | 69.77% | 15.83% |
| 2021 | 17.70% | 68.70% | 13.60% |
| 2022 | 19.20% | 70.20% | 10.60% |
| 2023 | 14.93% | 76.56% | 8.51% |
| 2024 | 16.10% | 76.33% | 7.57% |
| Year | U Roads |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 19.00% |
| 2021 | 22.40% |
| 2022 | 18.60% |
| 2023 | 17.03% |
| 2024 | 16.39% |
Since 2020 road condition assessments on the West Northamptonshire local road network have been captured annually, using high-resolution cameras mounted on vehicles that capture thousands of detailed images of the road surface as the vehicle drives along.
These images are then assessed and analysed using specialist software. This is in line with the new national standard BSI PAS2161 as detailed below.
A number of parameters measured in these surveys are used to produce a road condition indicator which is initially categorised into five categories and is then adjusted for reporting purposes into three condition categories:
- Green – No further investigation or treatment required
- Amber – Maintenance may be required soon
- Red – Should be considered for maintenance
From 2026/27 a new methodology will be used based on the BSI PAS2161 standard. Local Highway Authorities will be required to use a supplier that has been accredited against PAS2161.
This new standard will categorise roads into five categories instead of three to help government gain a more detailed understanding of road condition in England.
Find out more about road condition statistics.
Additional information on condition
Highway bridges and structure assets are key components in WNC’s road network, and their ongoing integrity is essential for the availability of the road network.
The over-arching requirement is that the highway structures assets are assessed and maintained to remain in a condition that they support the safe operation and availability of the road network. This goal will be achieved by planned regular inspection and consequent repairs.
The longer-term aim will be to maintain and improve the current condition of the highway structures assets. However, it is recognised that limitations on funding may restrict maintenance spending in the short and medium term and in such situations the network will need to be proactively managed to maintain safety and availability.
The aspiration is not to achieve a defect-free asset, but one where defects that affect safety and serviceability are addressed.
Plans
Overall strategy
The overall strategy is for the highway assets to remain in a condition that supports the safe, reliable, and sustainable functioning of the highway network. This is achieved by maintaining assets to an acceptable standard aligned with usage, hierarchy, and risk.
Specific objectives include:
- Reducing long-term maintenance liabilities through increased use of preventative treatments
- Prioritising high-traffic and high-risk sections (e.g. A-roads, strategic routes) for condition improvement where safety is compromised
- Ensuring the percentage of the network in poor condition does not increase year-on-year
Asset specific Highway Asset Management Plans are being developed to capture how each asset is managed, in line with the overall asset management policy and strategy.
We manage and maintain the highways assets in a planned, cost effective, coordinated, sustainable and efficient manner, over the whole life cycle of the asset.
Each year we agree an Annual Plan that sets out what services, works and schemes are going to be delivered in year, along with an overview of a forward programme of priorities.
Best practice and innovation
Our Asset Management approach follows best practice and incorporates guidance given in the UK Roads Liaison Group/Highway Maintenance Efficiency Programme (UKRLG/HMEP), Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Guidance Document.
We continue to explore innovations in materials and processes that will support cost-efficiency and sustainability.
We have innovations working groups that explore ideas that can be trialled, and we also collaborate and share best practice with other local authorities who use the same service provider.
Innovations that are now imbedded within our service delivery include:
- Roadmender: A permanent hot lay repair system using polymer-modified bitumen, offering durable pothole fixes with minimal waste and disruption
- Thermal patching: A technique that reworks and compacts existing asphalt using heat, enabling efficient surface defect repairs without full excavation
Specific plans for 2025/26
In line with our highway asset management strategy, as part of the 2025/26 Annual Plan we will be completing 6.79 kilometres of micro asphalt and 13.2 kilometres of surface dressing as part of our carriageway preventative maintenance approach. In addition, we will be resurfacing 1.4 kilometres of carriageway.
We will also be repairing two structures and conducting minor maintenance on a further 3 bridges and structures.
We will be conducting a number of investigations at locations where we are aware of problems with the effectiveness of the highway drainage system and will complete any necessary repairs.
Streetworks
We currently run a permit scheme for all works on our highway network. This allows us to review all works that are planned and can give directions regarding dates and times, approvals or refusal if required.
We hold quarterly co-ordination meetings with all works promoters to go through and discuss schemes, events, developments that are planned to start in the coming months.
We also hold regular project meetings with scheme promoters before works start to agree the methodology for how the works will be undertaken looking at the best ways to achieve the scheme outcomes whilst limiting the impact on the network.
We monitor the performance of all promoters working on our network and engage with them to help improve their performance should that be necessary. All planned works are shown on the One. Network system that can be viewed by anyone and provide details of the works, duration, and possible impact.
We also use the VMS sings across the county to give information on future and current activities that will affect the network as well as advising use of alternative routes.
Climate change, resilience and adaptation
The highway network faces threats from climate with the potential for increased flooding, more powerful storms and extreme cold/heat, all of which can alter the road surface and cause defects and disruption to everyday travel.
We have been working to decarbonise our highway maintenance operations by:
- Trialling and investing in low carbon pothole repair equipment such as Roadmender, which is made of 100% recycled content and produces no waste
- Using Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil, rather than diesel, to fuel gritting fleet
- Recycling of end-of-life personal protective equipment
- Use electric powered plant to replace petrol powered equivalents
- Use of foam-mix on suitable sites which allows recycling of both hazardous and non-hazardous asphalt waste
- Identify, with support of supply chain partners, aggregates and other road laying materials that have greater environmental attributes compared to primary sourced materials
Moving forward, we will:
- Continue to work with supply chain partners to identify new, efficient methods of working and identifying new materials to be used on the highways
- Use the cross authority innovations group to share best practice and to identify new materials and technology to help with mitigation and adaptation towards climate change
- Continue to decarbonise highway maintenance vehicles at an end of lease basis and replace with electric vehicles where possible depending on availability
- Enhance the natural environment along highways through tree planting and grass verge management and restoration
- Use technologies that will allow in situ recycling of road materials to reduce the use of new materials
A combined approach of carbon mitigation and adaptation will be required to ensure that we are reducing the emissions being produced to lessen the impact of climate change in years to come as well as adapting to the changes we are currently experiencing.
Last updated 24 June 2025