Westmorland and Furness Council challenges highway rating from Department for Transport
The council questions its categorisation within the new national RAG system for road authorities
Westmorland and Furness Council is calling for clarification on its ranking within the newly-introduced Department for Transport RAG rating system, which assesses highways authorities across England.
The council has received Amber ratings for Road Condition, Capital Spend, and Best Practice but contests an overall Red rating.
Concerns raised by the council include being marked down for innovation, despite being a national leader in related groups and dedicating resources to advancing local roads innovation. Other issues include the perceived unfair weighting for unclassified rural roads and resurfacing figures that were not verified with the council.
Councillor Peter Thornton, Cabinet Member for Highways and ICT, expressed concern about the methodology used.
"We are always looking to improve the condition of our highway but do not understand why Amber ratings in the three categories are then translated into an overall Red rating. The assessment methodology has also caused some confusion among many authorities, and we are seeking clarity on that. We were assured that only sending data for the last two years, since Westmorland and Furness Council came into being, was acceptable but we seem to have been penalised for not sending five years' worth of data," Thornton said.
"Our network has scale, rurality, and historic assets which make maintenance uniquely challenging, but we are determined to meet these challenges head-on and build on the progress already achieved."
Westmorland and Furness Council manages a vast road network covering over 2,600 miles and maintaining over 2,000 bridges, 72,000 drainage gullies, and 20,000 streetlights. Challenges include unique features such as remote mountain passes and historic bridges.
Despite complexities, the council highlighted advances made within its highways management in the past year, including repairing over 33,000 potholes using innovations such as jet patching and thermal patching. Road condition scores have reportedly improved through accredited survey data, supported with £8.4 million allocated for pothole repairs and significant resurfacing work.