Reform UK has been accused of failing motorists after new analysis revealed that Reform-led councils are proportionally the least effective at fixing potholes. The criticism comes as the Government launched a new traffic light system to tackle the issue, with a quarter of local highway authorities led by Reform receiving a 'Red' rating, the worst possible.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has introduced a mapping tool rating 154 local highway authorities as red, amber, or green based on road conditions and how effectively they spend Government road maintenance funding. Three Reform councils – Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and West Northamptonshire – were given 'Red' ratings out of only 12 councils led by Reform. Conservative councils also performed poorly, with nearly one in five receiving a 'Red' rating.
Anna Turley MP, Chair of the Labour Party, said: “This shows that Reform Councils are the worst at fixing potholes. Reform often give easy answers to problems but when it comes to delivering for drivers by fixing potholes and repairing roads, Reform Councils are falling well short. Labour is on the side of motorists. We’re delivering the biggest-ever investment to end England’s pothole plague and fixing a million more potholes every year.”
The data was collected between March 2025 and June 2025, before Reform took control of the local authorities. Among other councils classified as red are Cumberland, Bolton, Suffolk, and Kensington and Chelsea. The DfT said red authorities will receive “dedicated support to bring them into line with best practices” through a £300,000 programme. Green authorities include Essex, Wiltshire, Coventry, Leeds, and Darlington.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “For too long drivers have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate. We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding for local highway authorities with £7.3 billion to fix roads.” A Reform UK spokesman countered: “This is a timely report which exposes the failure of previous Conservative and Labour councils. Despite inheriting some of the worst roads in the country, Reform councils have been committed to fixing our highways. In Derbyshire alone, the Reform administration cleared the entire pothole backlog left by the Tories in their first six months.”
