Bedford Borough Council is among the 13 lowest-ranking local authorities on a new government system that measures how councils are tackling potholes.
The new red, amber and green ratings let members of the public see which authorities are fixing potholes effectively.
Those rated ‘red’ – including Bedford Borough – are not meeting the expected standards in one or several areas measured by the ratings.
Elements covered include the current state of the roads, the council’s plans for preventing potholes, or investment into maintaining local roads more widely.
The government has published the rankings ahead of National Pothole Day on Thursday, 15 January.
Authorities that scored green could demonstrate that they are investing in long-term preventative measures, rather than just patching up potholes, while also maintaining good road conditions and investing in improving local roads.
Those ranked ‘amber’ – including neighbouring Central Bedfordshire Council – showed some of these qualities with room for improvement in individual areas.
Bedford’s rating comes despite the arrival of a new pothole machine in April 2025, which looked set to transform the council’s response to road maintenance.
Read: New pothole machine could transform road repairs in the Borough
An interactive map showing every local authority’s rating is now live, with the ratings designed to recognise best practice and drive improved performance from LHAs. You can view the interactive map here.
Dedicated support
To boost standards, Bedford Borough Council will be among those poorly performing authorities that will receive dedicated support to bring them in line with best practices, backed by £300,000 worth of expert planning and capability assistance.
This future funding will be linked to performance, ensuring local authorities are encouraged to get on with the job and use taxpayer money efficiently to repair and maintain their roads before potholes form.
Last March, the council was told to improve its road maintenance or risk losing out on this government funding.
Funding is withheld until councils can transparently demonstrate they are complying with road maintenance best practice. The withheld £125 million in funding was unlocked at the end of last year by councils which successfully submitted their reports.
National road maintenance investment
The new ranking system comes after the Government committed to long-term investment in road maintenance, which they say would allow local authorities to repair potholes effectively and move away from expensive, short-term repairs, investing in long-term preventative measures.
The Government says the fixes will mean more money in drivers’ pockets – with the average vehicle repair bill from hitting potholes around £320, with some motorists paying over £1,000 last year.
The record £7.3 billion national investment for local road maintenance is enough for LHAs to renew and improve tens of thousands of miles of roads in every corner of the country.
“We’ve put our money where our mouth is”
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “For too long, drivers in the East of England have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate. I have heard time and again their frustration on footing the bill because they hit a pothole – money they should never have to spend in the first place.
“We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding in the East of England with £1.2 billion to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have been asking for.
“Now it’s over to them to spend the money wisely, and for the first time, we are making sure the public can see how well local highway authorities are doing in delivering the improvements they want to see in their local area.
“This government’s record investment will save drivers money on repairs, make roads safer and help restore pride in our communities.”
Bedford Borough Council was approached for a comment, but did not respond in time for our deadline.
