Lancashire County Council grapples with pothole repair data challenges amidst technical transition
Technical issue affects ability to report pothole repair targets
Lancashire County Council is experiencing a "technical issue" preventing it from verifying whether its pothole repair targets are being met, which stems from recent changes to reporting processes and the installation of a new IT system.
The authority has been unable to publish reliably formatted data tracking its performance since last autumn, resulting in missing statistics for pothole repairs from October to December 2025. This problem persists for early 2026 figures, pending the new system's activation next month.
Monitoring and challenges
While the council can monitor total pothole numbers—excluding Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen—it's unable to compare repair speed data to previous periods. Notably, the council previously recorded a 42 percent reduction in outstanding carriageway defects last September.
Conservative opposition leader Aidy Riggott voiced concerns about the lack of data transparency, emphasizing it as the "number one complaint" from residents.
"Residents want to know if work is being done in accordance with agreed KPIs...there's nothing to point at – just a black hole where the data should be," County Cllr Riggott expressed.
Current priorities and strategy
The council's deputy leader for highways and transport, Warren Goldsworthy, noted enhancements due following the forthcoming system activation. Improved contract arrangements have contributed to overall defect reduction in recent months.
With the new IT system replacing the outdated HAMS framework, Lancashire County Council plans to launch refreshed key performance indicators (KPIs) for the 2026/27 financial year, streamlining its priority approach into four categories: emergency (within four hours), urgent (two working days), Category 2C (five working days), and Category 2E (20 working days).
The previous one-day and 10-day targets will be removed, enabling faster response to significant road issues while accounting for lower-priority defects based on location and severity.
Despite reporting issues, the council remains focused on efficiently resolving road defects and enhancing safety across its highway network.