Highway Condition Report 2026
The Department for Transport (DfT) has asked all local highway authorities to publish information about their highways maintenance activities to help local taxpayers see the difference that funding is making in their areas.
- Our responsibilities for maintaining the highway network
- Road conditions at City of York Council
- Additional information on carriageway condition
- Potholes and other road defects
- Highway network maintenance spending and sources of funding
- Planned highway maintenance for 2026 to 2027
- Maintenance plan decision-making process
- Highway Condition Report Technical Annex
Our responsibilities for maintaining the highway network
City of York Council is responsible for almost 800km of adopted roads and over 1000km of footways, in addition to a well-developed cycle route network.
Other highway related assets include over 40,000 gullies and numerous other important transport assets such as bridges, drainage infrastructure and road signs.
Lengths of highway, footways and cycleways (km):
| Highway type | Length |
|---|---|
| Carriageways (roads) | 790km |
| Footways | 1,072km |
| Other Public Rights of Way | 253km |
| Cycle routes | 223km |
Other highways assets:
| Asset type | Number of assets |
|---|---|
| Streetlights | 23,000 |
| Traffic signal installations | 137 |
The council area covers a very varied geography. It includes rural areas, hamlets, villages and, of course, a city.
Within the built-up area of the city there are suburbs, a historic city centre, inner city areas laid out by the Georgians and Victorians, inter-war and post war twentieth century suburbs, green spaces such as the city’s strays and parks, and modern retail and business parks.
All these areas experience transport in different ways and as such are served by differing types of services and facilities.
Road conditions at City of York Council
Councils use road condition surveys to assess the state of their roads. The results are grouped into 3 categories:
-
Green: the road is in good condition and no further investigation or treatment is required
-
Amber: the road may need maintenance soon
-
Red: the road is in poor condition and should be considered for maintenance
The published official statistics for road condition include more detail about the methodology, timing and coverage of this data.
A Road conditions
A Roads are by far our busiest roads, primarily handling large volumes of traffic travelling longer distances. They are important roads that link large towns and cities and connect to other major routes.
The condition of York’s A Roads compares well with the regional average and the average for England. York’s A Roads are in good condition with only 2% to 3% rated as needing consideration for maintenance.
Condition data is collected across the full A Road network every year and is then used to develop Highways Annual Maintenance Programmes.
| Year | % of road in red category | % of road in amber category | % of road in green category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 to 2023 | 4% | 6% | 89% |
| 2023 to 2024 | 2% | 18% | 81% |
| 2024 to 2025 | 3% | 21% | 76% |
| 2025 to 2026 | 2% | 20% | 78% |
B and C Road conditions
B and C Roads are less busy than A Roads, and generally link smaller settlements and carry traffic between A Roads and smaller local roads, acting as a connecting network.
C Roads carry less traffic and are often found in rural areas.
Their condition is similar to our neighbouring councils, and is aligned with the regional and national average. York’s B and C Roads are in good condition with only 3% to 4% rated as needing consideration for maintenance in recent years.
| Year | % of road in red category | % of road in amber category | % of road in green category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 to 2023 | 12% | 7% | 80% |
| 2023 to 2024 | 4% | 21% | 75% |
| 2024 to 2025 | 4% | 23% | 71% |
| 2025 to 2026 | 3% | 20% | 77% |
U Road conditions
Unclassified Roads or U Roads are less used local roads intended for local traffic.
In urban areas and villages these are typically residential or industrial streets usually with a 30mph speed limit or lower.
In rural areas U Roads link small villages and other settlements with busier classified roads and also provide access to individual properties and land. The vast majority (60%) of roads in the UK fall within the U Road category.
The majority of York’s Unclassified Roads are generally in good condition, however a higher percentage are rated as needing consideration for maintenance as compared to the classified road network. Our U Road condition is slightly higher than both the regional and England average.
One way we are addressing the decline in road condition on our U Road network is by increasing the proportion of preventative maintenance surface treatments across the whole network, but with a focus on including more U Roads on each Annual Highway Maintenance Programme.
| Year | % of road in red category |
|---|---|
| 2022 to 2023 | 16% |
| 2023 to 2024 | 19% |
| 2024 to 2025 | 25% |
| 2025 to 2026 | 23% |
Please note:
Data for 2022 2023 was collected using survey types that don't produce outputs that can be compared or meet the requirements of the DfT to inform National Indicators.
Since 2023 we have completed additional surveys on our A, B and C roads that produce outputs that can be reported to DfT and allow us to better compare and benchmark performance with other councils.
The figures for 2025 to 2026 are those reported to DfT in May 2026 but as yet these have not been validated by DfT.
Additional information on carriageway condition
The council completes condition surveys of its full road network yearly. The outputs from these surveys are used to produce National and Local Indicators that we provide to DfT and use to compare and benchmark our performance with other authorities.
Data from condition surveys is uploaded into our Asset Management System (AMS) where we are able to visualise the assets and create lifecycle plans that assist in developing future works programmes.
Condition data is also made available to residents and businesses via York Open Data, with Transport being one of many data topics containing a multitude or datasets relevant to the services the council provides.
Potholes and other road defects
Our risk-based approach to manage potholes and road defects is explained in our Highway Safety Inspection Manual (HSIM).
We're currently expanding this document to support the hierarchy of active travel and our Local Transport Strategy with more focus on walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport.
Potholes and highway defects forming on our network are influenced by number of factors, the most important being adverse weather conditions. Snow and ice combined with low road surface temperatures is the predominant cause, but as result of climate change, we are now experiencing a different type of damage caused by intense and long-lasting rainfall events and dryer periods causing shrinkage and cracking of many of our active travel assets.
Our approach is heavily influenced by national guidance such as well-managed highway infrastructure, ADEPT guidance, PAS2161 and NWSRG practical guidance, but we also incorporate local knowledge of our network.
What we are doing to tackle potholes
The council repaired 11,892 potholes during the 2025 to 2026 financial year.
Trained dedicated highway inspectors assess all highways, footways and key active travel infrastructure across the city in accordance with timescales and repair frequencies detailed in our HSIM. Inspections are recorded digitally on dedicated asset management systems linked to customer reporting systems. Inspections include programmed routine inspections and reactive inspections following reports from the public, businesses or councillors.
The council develops and delivers programmes of cost-effective Preventative Maintenance treatments aimed at extending the useful life of the asset. These treatments are generally applied to the surface of the asset to recondition and seal the existing material. On average we complete a surface treatment on nearly 5km of road each year.
When developing our Planned Maintenance resurfacing and reconstruction programmes data from our Asset Management System (AMS) is used to identify defect hot spots or clusters. These defect cluster sites form one of a number of priority factors that we apply to the base condition data in an effort to target schemes that offer the biggest benefits to the council and the travelling public. The expectation in targeting defect cluster sites is to see a reduction in reactive maintenance works and a corresponding relief on pressured Revenue budgets.
How members of public can report potholes and other highway defects
The council employ a web-based system and customer contact centre service so that members of the public can report potholes and other highway defects 24 hours a day to our Highway Asset Management Team.
Emergency issues on the highway can be raised by directly calling the council on the number provided. The call handlers are in contact with on-call highway officers who will attend site to assess any immediate works that may be required.
Issues can be reported:
- Online: report a problem
- By telephone: 01904 551551
- By email: ycc@york.gov.uk
All potholes and defects will be assessed in a priority basis in normal working hours.
What happens after a pothole is reported
All pothole reports are assessed by Highway Asset Management teams, all enquiries are managed in the council’s customer management system.
Details of the defect are entered onto the asset management system used by the service and inspections are carried out based on HSIM priorities:
- urgent issues are inspected within 2 working hours
- non-urgent issues are inspected within 4 working days
On completion, the customer management system enquiry is updated and any required works orders are raised in the asset management system. Works are completed in accordance with the HSIM prioritisation by our own in-house direct labour team. Once complete the customer management system enquiry is updated.
Highway network maintenance spending and sources of funding
Total spending on highway network maintenance:
| Year | Total spend |
|---|---|
| 2024 to 2025 | £14,959 |
| 2025 to 2026 | £16,149 |
| 2026 to 2027 (projected) | £17,295 |
2024 to 2025 spending breakdown:
| Asset type | Total spend |
|---|---|
| Carriageways | £7,229 |
| Footways | £689 |
| Structures (for example bridges, tunnels) | £942 |
| Drainage | £1,859 |
| Street lighting | £2,632 |
| Other assets | £1,608 |
2025 to 2026 spending breakdown:
| Asset type | Total spend |
|---|---|
| Carriageways | £8,689 |
| Footways | £994 |
| Structures (for example bridges, tunnels) | £684 |
| Drainage | £1,845 |
| Street lighting | £2,547 |
| Other assets | £1,390 |
2026 to 2027 spending breakdown:
| Asset type | Total spend |
|---|---|
| Carriageways | £10,589 |
| Footways | £1,395 |
| Structures (for example bridges, tunnels) | £680 |
| Drainage | £1,498 |
| Street lighting | £2,173 |
| Other assets | £960 |
Sources of highways maintenance funding
| Funding source | 2024 to 2025 | 2025 to 2026 | 2026 to 2027 (projected) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funding received through the Department for Transport / UK Government | £4,777 | £4,423 | £5,800 |
| Additional highways maintenance funding provided by the council or third parties | £10,281 | £11,726 | £11,495 |
| Total | £15,058 | £16,149 | £17,295 |
Planned highway maintenance for 2026 to 2027
The council approves and publishes its Highway Annual Maintenance Report in March each year.
The report details the range of highways assets that are managed by the Highways Asset Management service, the ways in which their needs-based maintenance is assessed and how the available funding is targeted to deliver the wide range of maintenance and renewal works completed by the service in 2026 to 2027.
Summary of 2026 to 2027 programme of works:
This table shows a summary of the 2026 to 2027 programme of works (estimated, based on design drawings with accurate post-treatment figures to be reported to DfT in the 130-04 Work Done Survey).
| Treatment type | Scheme type | Number of streets | Total length (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carriageway - planned/proactive maintenance | Resurfacing and Reconstruction | 19 | 8.3 |
| Carriageway - preventative maintenance | Surface Dressing and Retexturing | 11 | 17.5 |
| Footway/cycle path - planned/proactive maintenance | Resurfacing and Reconstruction | 5 | 2.0 |
| Footway/cycle path - preventative maintenance | Micro-asphalt (slurry seal) | 17 | 8.0 |
Full list of planned carriageway and footway works
Full details of City of York Council’s Highway Annual Maintenance programmes are published on our website:
This is in addition to the Highway Annual Maintenance Report.
Maintenance plan decision-making process
The selection of roads where Planned or Proactive highways works are required is based on a full detailed condition survey of the entire road network completed each year. Road surfaces are graded based on their condition and this data forms the basis on which programmes are then developed.
Condition survey outputs are imported into specialist asset management software that assists with the visualisation of raw condition data, and supports the development of annual programmes and lifecycle planning. Weighted priority factors are then applied to prioritise treatment locations. Priorities and associated weightings include the presence of on-road cycle lanes, bus routes and traffic generators such as schools and retail areas. A factor is also applied using live job data, where hot spots or clusters of pothole repairs have been identified. Treatment location outputs provide a sound starting point for further review and (human) engineering assessment.
The process the council applies is in accordance with National Guidelines from DfT. Schemes are based on fundamentals of condition need, but the process ensures that available funding is targeted and avoids ‘worst first’ principles which would address condition but not the wider need.
Highway Condition Report Technical Annex
The Department for Transport requires all Highway Authorities to prepare a separate technical annex to provide wider context and information to residents, businesses and visitors using the highway network in its area and the outcomes that are delivered though its work.
The Highway Condition Report Technical Annex forms part of the City of York Council transparency reporting process:
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