Midlands Council Faces Calls to Overhaul Pothole Policy Following Government Red Rating

Dudley Council’s highways department is under scrutiny following a government report that assigned the council a red rating for best practices in pothole policy. The Department of Transport’s report, released on January 11, gave Dudley an overall amber rating for road maintenance but highlighted significant shortcomings in best practice standards, placing Dudley among only 18 out of 154 highways authorities to receive a red rating.

During the Communities and Growth Scrutiny Committee meeting on January 21, Labour councillor Parmjit Sahota emphasized the need for a broader review beyond the scheduled winter maintenance evaluation. “We require a comprehensive, systematic review that examines policies, procedures, and processes in detail, especially to understand why increased investment hasn’t yielded desired improvements,” he stated.

Cabinet member for economy and infrastructure, Councillor Simon Phipps, defended the council’s maintenance strategy, addressing the challenge of balancing preventive and reactive repairs. “Preventive maintenance, such as surface dressing—where a layer of stones protects the road surface—often draws complaints from both councillors and residents,” he explained. “Although it’s a messy process, it’s essential for prolonging road life. Ideally, we want to focus on full resurfacing, but budget and logistics make that impossible everywhere.”

Nick McGurk, Dudley’s Group Director for Communities and Growth, added that the shift to planned preventive maintenance had only been underway for two years. “Our goal is continuous improvement, and we do not take red ratings lightly,” he said.

With responsibility for more than 700 miles of roads, Cllr Phipps acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead. Councillor Sahota reiterated the urgency, stating, “The red rating reflects deficiencies in best practice, not just reactive responses. A broader approach is necessary to address these issues effectively.”