They are the source of frustration for many motorists across Greater Manchester and it’s the job of our councils to fix them.

They are the source of frustration for many motorists across Greater Manchester and it’s the job of our councils to fix them.

Now transparency reports have been published by the government, giving each local authority ratings for how they deal with pesky potholes.  Local road maintenance ratings range from green (highest) through amber to red (lowest). They measure how well each local highway authority is maintaining its local roads and are based on three areas.

Categories include current condition of local roads; how much is spent on road maintenance; and how effectively councils follow best practice in highways maintenance. In the city-region, Manchester council spent the most money on their road maintenance at £25.514m between 2024 and 2025.

However, it was Salford council that filled the most potholes during that time period with an estimated 18,200 patched up.

Manchester and Wigan council were the only ones to get a green rating overall, with Bolton getting a red and the other seven councils getting amber ratings. Bolton council explained there was an error in the data they gave to the Department for Transport (DfT), resulting in this low rating.

Only 16 local authorities across the country received green ratings, with the majority receiving amber ratings. However, the idea behind the rating system is not to name and shame the councils, but to help the government identify where improvements and support are needed.

According to the DfT, local authorities with good local road condition, high adoption of best practice, and that invest significantly into maintaining their roads receive a green rating. Those where performance is more mixed or consistently weaker across these areas receive an amber or red rating.

To access all their £7.3bn of highways maintenance funding for the period of 2026/27 to 2029/30, local highway authorities will have to continue to publish reports on their roads maintenance work, so that these ratings can be updated and the government can assess how they comply with best practice in highways maintenance.

Bolton

• Overall rating: Red

• Estimated potholes filled (2024/2025): 10,263 (2024-2025)
• Money spent (2024/2025): £6.463m
• Projected spend for 25/26: £6.714m

A Bolton Council spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, it appears there was an error in the data we provided to the Department for Transport, which has resulted in this artificially low ‘red’ rating.

“Due to a recent change in the reporting mechanism, the DfT rating is erroneously based on Bolton’s highways spending up to June 2025, rather than our projected spend for the whole financial year.

“In reality, Bolton council is on track to invest £5m in our borough’s roads in 2025/26, compared to £4.7m in 2024/25.

“We received an additional £1.5m in maintenance funding and carried out resurfacing on 12.5km of the borough’s roads, with preventative treatment carried out on a further 10km.

“We are working with the DfT to correct this matter and aim to secure a rating which more accurately reflects the state of our roads, which remain in good condition despite the historic underfunding of local government in recent decades.”

Bury

• Overall rating: Amber
• Estimated potholes filled (2024/2025): 10,201
• Money spent (2024/2025): £9.9m
• Projected spend for 25/26: £10.517m

A Bury Council spokesperson said: “Bury Council is committed to maintaining and improving the borough’s 660 km (410 miles) of roads but unfortunately, for well over a decade, insufficient government funding has affected the overall condition of our highway network. As can be seen from the map, the vast majority of councils are in the same position.

“To help counteract this funding gap, and because we recognise how important our roads are to residents and businesses, we have invested an additional £30m of council money over nine years to raise maintenance standards.

“This extra funding has already improved over 50 miles of highway at over 625 roads across the borough. Alongside this, via other funding, we also repair around 11,000 potholes each year. 

“With the resources available, we are doing everything we can to keep our roads safe and in good condition for everyone. 

“Nevertheless, we are now in the winter period which is known to worsen potholes because of the constant freeze/thaw effect damaging road surfaces. 

“Our highway inspectors carry out year-round safety inspections of all the adopted highway on a cyclic schedule, to identify and prioritise repairs.  But if residents do notice a pothole, please report it to us promptly at www.bury.gov.uk/reportit-potholes.

“Here residents can also check whether a pothole has already been reported and where we are up to with its repair.”

Manchester

• Overall rating: Green

• Estimated potholes filled (2024/2025): 10,120
• Money spent (2024/2025): £25.514m
• Projected spend for 25/26: £24.686m

Coun Tracey Rawlins, executive member for clean air, environment and transport for Manchester City Council, said: “For the past five years a concerted push has gone into bringing our roads up to the standard that our residents expect and deserve. We are grateful that countless hours of hard work from our staff can be recognised at a national level, and gives us a benchmark that we can not only aspire to, but surpass in the coming years.

“Fixing potholes may seem a minor task but it makes a big difference to the daily lives of ordinary Mancunians, it keeps people safe and it contributes to Manchester’s thriving economy. These are just a few reasons why it is great news our performance has been rated as ‘green’.

“Our work will not stop and, with the welcome support from the Central Government, continue our drive to make sure that our road network is as good as it can possibly be.”

Oldham

• Overall rating: Amber

• Estimated potholes filled (2024/2025): 973
• Money spent (2024/2025): £5.575m
• Projected spend for 25/26: £5.66m

Coun Chris Goodwin, cabinet member for highways, said: “The Department for Transport’s Transparency Report rates Oldham as green for both road condition and spend, which shows that our highways are in good condition and that the council is making effective use of the funding available to us.

“While our score is lower in the Best Practice category, this is due to the long-standing national challenge of limited investment in highway maintenance.

“Despite receiving relatively limited funding, we have been doing the very best we can with the resources available, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Department for Transport and Transport for Greater Manchester to explore opportunities for increased investment in Oldham’s highways so we can build on this strong foundation and meet future demands.”

Rochdale

• Overall rating: Amber
• Estimated potholes filled (2024/2025): 8,890
• Money spent (2024/2025): £8.563m
• Projected spend for 25/26: £8.563m

A spokesperson for Rochdale Borough Council, said: “We’re pleased that the survey scored us so highly on the amount of investment we put into our highways over this period, which amounts to over £4m.

“The best practice section, where we scored slightly lower, refers to the amount of preventative maintenance undertaken, such as surface dressing and micro asphalt treatments. During this period, we were not able to undertake as many of these as we ordinarily would, due to the number of more transformative and costly treatments, such as full resurfacing, which we carried out.

“As part of our planning, we also have to consider that preventative treatments cannot be used on all roads, particularly those in more densely populated areas.

“We have to ensure we undertake a combination of preventative work and larger, full-scale repairs, and we work hard to get this balance right. To help us achieve this, we will continue to invest heavily into our network year on year.”

Salford

• Overall rating: Amber

• Estimated potholes filled (2024/2025): 18,200
• Money spent (2024/2025): £18.529m
• Projected spend for 25/26: £19.682m

In their transparency report, Salford council said: “Salford’s highway network is one of the city’s most valuable public assets, with a gross replacement cost estimated at over £1.1bn. It underpins everything from economic growth and regeneration to community wellbeing and daily mobility.

“Whether travelling by foot, bike, car, or public transport, every journey in Salford depends on a safe, reliable, and well maintained highway infrastructure. This Highways Maintenance Report reflects our commitment to managing this vital asset responsibly and sustainably.

“It builds on the principles set out in our Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan, which guides how we prioritise investment, apply lifecycle planning, and deliver value for money in the face of increasing financial and environmental pressures.

“Despite ongoing challenges, Salford City Council continues to invest in its network, ensuring that our roads, footways, bridges, lighting, and drainage systems are maintained to a high standard.

“This report outlines the progress we’ve made, the challenges we face, and the strategic approach we are taking to ensure our highways support a thriving, connected, and inclusive city.”

Stockport

• Overall rating: Amber
• Estimated potholes filled (2024/2025): 3,716
• Money spent (2024/2025): £9.02m
• Projected spend for 25/26: tbc

A spokesperson for Stockport Council said: “We are committed to maintaining and improving the condition of our highways for all residents and road users, which is why we invested £100m in improving our highways, as part of our Highways Investment Programme.

“We recognise that there is always room for improvement, and we continue to work hard within the funding available to deliver the best possible outcomes for the borough.”

Tameside

• Overall rating: Amber
• Estimated potholes filled (2024/2025): 4,472
• Money spent (2024/2025): £3.344m
• Projected spend for 25/26: £4.974m

A Tameside Council Spokesperson said: “We recognise the importance of our highway infrastructure and how an effectively maintained and managed highway network is fundamental in supporting the local economy – fixing potholes is an important aspect of this. 

“We have a full maintenance programme underway and are also considering further investment to enable us to focus even more on preventative maintenance to improve the overall condition of the local road network.”

Trafford

• Overall rating: Amber

• Estimated potholes filled (2024/2025): 2,959
• Money spent (2024/2025): £7.5m
• Projected spend for 25/26: £6.79m

A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: “Trafford Council is committed to providing safe roads for all across the borough and is continuing to prioritise the fixing of pot holes and other highway measures. This commitment saw us spending £4m on highway capital in the last year.

“The Department for Transport has given the Council a rating of amber and has identified our areas of improvement and demonstrated best practice and level of spend. 

“We are currently reviewing the findings to provide a detailed understanding about how it has been measured and where we can improve our scores and overall experience for our network users.”

Wigan

• Overall rating: Green
• Estimated potholes filled (2024/2025): 3,800

• Money spent (2024/2025): £8.201m
• Projected spend for 25/26: £8.325m

Coun Paul Prescott, cabinet portfolio holder for planning, environmental services and transport said, “Wigan Council is one of only 16 out of 154 councils to achieve a ‘green’ rating for the conditions of our road network, which includes more than 1,000km of roads. This places us in the top 11% in the country.

“We take the approach that ‘prevention is better than cure’, with proactive works to tackle problems before they happen.

“Nearly 90% of our investment in roads is spent on preventative maintenance, assessing roads for early signs of wear and carrying out earlier interventions, at a lower cost than reactive works.

“Reactive works and responding to resident reports continue to be a key part of our work, with 99 per cent of emergency highways defects repaired in less than 24 hours, and within two hours for the highest risk issues.

“We would always encourage all residents to notify us about any defects in the roads by visiting wigan.gov.uk/ReportIt.”