Bedford Borough Council will be required to publish more detailed information about potholes, road conditions and highways spending under new government transparency rules designed to hold councils to account for the state of local roads.
The changes come just months after Bedford was given an overall “red” rating by the Department for Transport (DfT) under a new national system assessing how councils maintain their road networks.
That rating was publicly challenged by Mayor Tom Wootton (Conservative), who argued it did not accurately reflect the condition of the borough’s roads.
Read: Government stands by Bedford’s “red” road rating despite mayor’s complaint
However, the Government later stood by the assessment, describing it as a “snapshot in time” based on information supplied by councils themselves.
Read: DfT refuses to say if Bedford’s corrected pothole data changes red rating
New reporting rules
The Department for Transport has announced tougher reporting requirements for all local highway authorities in England as part of a £7.3 billion highways maintenance funding programme covering the period from 2026/27 to 2029/30.
Under the new rules, councils must publish a Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report and submit it to the Government by Thursday, 10 September 2026.
The reports will include information on road conditions, maintenance activity, pothole repairs, spending and asset management.
The Government says the aim is to help residents understand how highway funding is being spent and allow the public to compare performance between councils.
Information contained in the reports will also be used to help assess councils’ highway maintenance performance.
Red rating dispute
The announcement follows a public disagreement between Bedford Borough Council and the Department for Transport over Bedford’s roads rating.
Earlier this year, Bedford was one of a number of authorities given an overall red rating under the Government’s new red, amber and green assessment system.
The ratings are based on three key areas:
- Road condition
- Highways maintenance spending
- Adoption of highway maintenance best practices
Mayor Tom Wootton disputed the assessment, arguing that some of the data used by the Government was inaccurate.
The council subsequently submitted corrected information relating to road condition data.
However, when the Bedford Independent asked whether that revised data would affect Bedford’s rating, the Department for Transport declined to say whether the council’s classification would change.
The Government later defended the original rating, saying it reflected information available at the time and was intended to provide a consistent national comparison.
Bedford’s road network
Bedford Borough Council already publishes an annual highways maintenance transparency report.
According to its latest figures, 6,308 potholes were repaired during 2024/25, up slightly from 6,032 the previous year.
The report also shows that the proportion of classified A roads requiring maintenance fell from 1.9 per cent in 2024 to 1.6 per cent in 2025.
For B and C roads, the figure fell from 5.1 per cent to 3.8 per cent over the same period.
The Government says its new reporting requirements are intended to encourage councils to focus on preventative maintenance rather than waiting for roads to deteriorate and require reactive repairs.
Council response
The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked Bedford Borough Council whether it was confident it would meet the new reporting requirements, whether the changes would alter its highways maintenance strategy and what the measures would mean for residents.
However, the council did not provide a response before publication.
Additional reporting by John Guinn,
Local Democracy Reporter
