The government committed £7.3bn in November’s Budget to fix roads over the next four years.
The DFT rated 154 local highway authorities as red, amber or green based on road conditions and how well they were using government funds.
The vast majority were rated as amber, meaning they were patching up roads and had preventative measures in place but there was still room for improvement.
Derbyshire – once rated the “pothole capital of the UK” – scored the lowest for road maintenance.
In December, the RAC found that Derbyshire had received the biggest increase in claims for compensation for potholes between 2021 and 2024. The council’s cabinet member for potholes, highways and transport, Charlotte Hill, said claims had fallen by 72% since May 2025.
Councils rated red will receive extra support, including an additional £300,000 each, to help them improve.
The government said that future funding would be “linked to performance” to encourage councils to use “taxpayer money efficiently to repair and maintain their roads before potholes form”.