Highway maintenance transparency report

Highways maintenance funding and spending figures

Capital funding allocation sources

Funding year	2024-25	2025-26	2026-27 (Projected)
Highways maintenance capital funding allocated through DfT	£28,255,000	£55,026,000	£40,782,000
Other DfT capital funding utilised by local authority for highways maintenance	£	£1,894,660	£14,944,657
Other Government capital funding allocated by local authority to highways maintenance	£	£	£
Other capital funding allocated to highways maintenance	£36,428,572	£2,331,198	£24,829,000
Total Capital funding allocated to highways maintenance	£64,683,572	£59,251,859	£80,555,657

Spending

Total spending

Question	Answer
Please confirm that you understand the answers provided in this section relate to your compliance under the 2026-27 local highways maintenance incentive funding requirements, as set out to your authority via letter to your chief executive in April and as published online.	Yes

Financial year	2024-25	2025-26	2026-27 (projected)
Total highways maintenance capital spend	£64,683,572	£59,251,859	£80,555,657
Total highways maintenance revenue spend	£28,593,750	£29,576,328	£27,960,153
Total spend	£93,277,322	£88,828,187	£108,515,810

Spending on carriageways by type of spend in financial year 2025-26 and 2026-27 (projected)

Carriageway spend related maintenance type	Capital  2025-26	Revenue 2025-26	Capital 2026-27 (projected)	Revenue 2026-27 (projected)
Planned maintenance
Preventative carriageway maintenance	£21,675,125	£0	£22,850,000	£0
Structural carriageway maintenance	£10,969,000	£0	£15,722,000	£0
Planned carriageway repair / patching programmes	£3,946,653	£	£12,614,805	£0
Reactive carriageway maintenance
Reactive carriageway repairs / patching (temporary repairs)	Unable to separate, including in total figure
Reactive carriageway repairs / patching (permanent repairs)	Unable to separate, including in total figure
Reactive carriageway repairs / patching (total)	£0	£ 8,985,683	£0	£8,441,020
Other carriageway‑related spend	£	£	£	£
Total	£36,590,778	£ 8,985,683	£51,186,805	£ 8,441,020

Additional information on spending on carriageways by type of spend

We are unable to separate the spend between temporary and permanent reactive repairs, but the number of temporary repairs is shown in the table below.

Highway Maintenance Activity - Surface Treatments and Repairs

Road resurfacing and surface treatments

Financial year	Road receiving preventative road surface treatments (length, km)	Road receiving planned structural maintenance (length, km)	Area receiving planned repair / patching programmes	Area receiving reactive repair / patching (permanent methods)	Area receiving reactive repairs/ patching (temporary methods)
2025-26	254 km	2 km	n/a	92,538m2	2710m2
2026-27 projected	253 km	7 km	n/a	n/a	n/a

Additional information on surface treatments and repairs

Planned patching figures are included within the reactive permanent patching totals, as they are not recorded or reported separately.

Pothole repairs

This section sets out how authorities identify and repair potholes and other defects in carriageways, and how this activity fits within their wider maintenance approach. The Department for Transport is clear that prevention is better than cure: planned, preventative maintenance should be the foundation of a well-managed network, reducing the need for repeated reactive interventions 

Pothole/Defect intervention criteria

The table below sets out how we define potholes and other carriageway defects, and the intervention criteria that app

Pothole/Defect  category name (as used by your authority)	Minimum investigatory or definitional threshold (e.g. depth, area, width – include units)	Additional risk or contextual factors considered (e.g. road hierarchy, traffic levels, location in carriageway)	Target response time – make safe	Target response time – permanent repair
Potholes/Spalling	40mm depth	The nature and severity of the defect    Traffic and/or pedestrian usage    The nature/use of the road    Location e.g. wheel track, o/s hospital or school, proximity to a road junction    Congestion/disruption caused by temporary traffic control    Diversion Route - Special Designation Route e.g. Marathon    Existing or predicted climatic conditions	Category 1 (Immediate Hazard)   2 hours: Make safe immediately and undertake urgent repair. 24 hours: Make safe or repair within 24 hours.   Permanent repair:    Follow-up repair may be programmed within 28 days.   Category 2 (High Risk)   Make safe or repair within 7 calendar days.   Category 3 (Medium Risk)   3M (roads inspected monthly and all customer-reported defects): repair within 28 calendar days. 3Q (roads inspected quarterly): repair within 45 calendar days. 3A (roads inspected annually): repair within 60 calendar days.   Category 4 (Low Risk)   No fixed response time. Defects are added to planned maintenance programmes, monitored, or considered for future works as appropriate.
Crowning	40mm depth  Dependant on reinstatement width(NRSWA)
Depression	50mm level difference (area 2m²)
Rutting	40mm depth
Crazing/cracking	25mm width (40mm depth)
Sunken ironwork	40mm level difference
Raised ironwork	20mm level difference
Edge deterioration	100mm level difference

It is acknowledged that due to funding constraints that the level of resources available may not be sufficient to undertake all routine and reactive maintenance activities and that the aspirational timescales for repair included within the national “Well Managed Highway Infrastructure - Code of Practice” published October 2016. may not be achievable given peaks and troughs within any given year.

The repair period assigned for Category 3 defects is 28 days for a monthly route (3M), 45 days for a quarterly route (3Q) and 60 days for an annual route (3A), as the overall operation within a year is resource limited according to the available budget. The categorisation process allows for a greater priority to be assigned to the defects on the busier roads that are subject to the most traffic and therefore possess the greater risk to the travelling public. This aligns with the overall risk-based approach to inspections and defect categorisation.

Number of potholes filled

• Number of potholes filled in 2025-26 (estimate): 30,953

Of these how many do you estimate were resolved using each of the following approaches?

Planned repair / patching programmes	Planned structural maintenance programmes	Reactive repair using temporary  repair methods	Reactive repair using permanent  repair methods
10,188	No data held	2,301	18,464

Additional information on numbers of potholes resolved, by treatment type

Planned repairs and patching relate to potholes addressed through preventative maintenance and hotspot repair programmes, while reactive repairs are delivered through a combination of our flexible rolling 12-week forward works programme and urgent responses to defects that present an imminent safety risk. 

The authority uses a treatment matrix to determine the most appropriate repair type based on factors such as location, hierarchy and the condition of the surrounding carriageway. The matrix also classifies repairs as permanent, semi-permanent or temporary. 

Under this approach, the classification of a repair depends on the condition and importance of the road. For example, a repair that may be considered temporary on an urban road in good condition could be regarded as semi-permanent on a rural road that has reached the end of its service life. 

Repairs on life-expired sections of the highway are not generally classified as permanent, as the underlying condition limits the long-term effectiveness of the intervention.

Authorities have different criteria for identifying potholes and different methodologies for counting how many they have filled or resolved. Summing the figures in the above table across authorities will therefore not provide a reliable estimate of the total number of potholes filled across England.

Prices of pothole interventions

• Unit/average cost of a permanent pothole repair on your network (reactive): £103
• Unit/average cost of a temporary pothole repair on your network (reactive): Not available

Additional information on pothole prices

Priority is given to undertaking larger, durable repairs that provide the greatest long-term benefit to network users and minimise future maintenance requirements. As both, permanent and temporary repairs may involve the same treatment types, it is often difficult to distinguish the cost associated with each category. Variations in cost are typically driven by operational factors, including the duration of the works and the extent of traffic management required to carry them out safely.

Defect repair quality 

Question	Yes/no
Do you set requirements to those delivering repairs about the longevity of both a) planned repairs/patching and b) reactive repairs using permanent methods?	Yes
If yes, do you base your material and process specifications on these longevity requirements?	Yes
Do you regularly monitor the appropriateness of the carriageway interventions chosen by your workforce or contractor and the quality of work delivered?	Yes
If yes, do you systematically record information about expected and delivered longevity of repairs?	Yes

Additional information 

The expected lifespan of a defect repair is broadly aligned with utility reinstatement standards. However, there is no single guarantee period, as the most appropriate repair method will depend on factors such as the type and severity of the defect, its location on the network, repair priority, whether the work is carried out during or outside normal working hours, and the remaining life of the asset. 

A range of repair techniques are used, including thermal repairs, spray injection patching, screed, and traditional cut-and-break repairs. As these methods are applied in different circumstances, the expected performance and service life of repairs will vary. 

The highway maintenance contract is outcome-focused and does not prescribe fixed repair lifespans, as longevity is influenced by factors such as carriageway condition, road hierarchy and traffic loading. However, all repairs are specified to achieve the longest practical service life and provide a durable, long-lasting solution. 

To ensure quality standards are maintained, the council has a dedicated team of officers who carry out regular inspections of completed repairs. A minimum of 200 inspections is undertaken each month, and records are maintained for repairs that fail, including details of the time elapsed before failure.

Public reporting system for defects and other issues

Question	Answer
Are defect reports from the public routinely used as an input into maintenance planning and inspection regimes?	Yes
Do you inform users about the outcomes from their feedback, including when no action is to be taken?	Yes

Tools used for reporting

The authority’s customer reporting system allows residents to report highway issues, track the progress of their enquiry and receive updates throughout the process. Reports are passed directly into the council’s highway management system. The system is being expanded to provide a single access for a wider range of highway services.

Maintenance of highway structures

This section sets out information about other highway structures and assets

Highway Structures 

Question	Answer
Number of highway structures on your highway network	1580
Number of highway structures with interim measures in accordance with CS470 applied?	42
Number of structures due a General Inspection in 2025-26 in accordance with CS450	635
Number of General Inspections carried out in 2025-26	635
Number of structures due a Principal Inspection in 2025-26 in accordance with CS450	35
Number of Principal Inspections carried out in 2025-26	34

Asset Management

This section focuses on asset management practices that underpin how the authority plans, prioritises and delivers highways maintenance. It is intended to provide confidence that decisions are evidence led, risk based and aligned to whole life value, in line with the Code of Practice for Well Managed Highways Infrastructure.

Asset Management Strategy and Policy

The questions in this section relate to the asset management condition set out in the 2026–27 local highways maintenance incentive funding requirements. 

Question	Answer
Please confirm that you understand the answers provided in this section (B5.1) relate to your compliance under the 2026-27 local highways maintenance incentive funding requirements, as set out to your authority via letter to your chief executive in April and as published online.	Yes
Please provide a link to your authority’s published highways asset management policy and strategy.	Managing the highway | Staffordshire County Council
Please provide the date it was last reviewed or updated	Nov 2018
If your asset management policy or strategy has not been reviewed or updated since 1 August 2024, please confirm that it will be reviewed or updated by 30 September 2027 and provide a brief timetable for doing so.	Staffordshire County Council's updated Highway Asset Management Policy and Highway Asset Management Strategy are scheduled to be approved by Cabinet on 16th September 2026, providing an updated strategic framework for the management, maintenance and investment of the county's highway infrastructure.

Key aspects of highways asset management approach

To get a sense of how each local highway authority is implementing best practice for asset management, we ask that you provide the following information across a sample of key areas. 

Asset data 

This section seeks to establish whether asset management decisions are supported by appropriate and up‑to‑date condition data.

Asset type	Asset inventory held? (None / partial / full)	Condition data held? (None / Partial / Full)
Carriageways	Full	Full
Footways and cycleways	Full	Full
Structures	Full	Full
Drainage assets	Partial	Partial
Street lighting	Full	Full
Traffic signals	Full	Full

Further context

Staffordshire County Council maintains a comprehensive and high-quality inventory for its key highway asset groups, providing a strong foundation for asset management, investment planning and service delivery. Drainage is the only asset group where the inventory remains partially complete, reflecting the challenge of capturing historic sub-surface drainage infrastructure across a long-established highway network. This gap in drainage inventory and condition gaps is being addressed incrementally through targeted surveys, system updates and scheme-led data capture.

Asset data integration and management

This section seeks to understand the maturity of how asset data is managed and integrated to support planning and investment decisions.

Asset data integration

How is asset inventory and condition data for your key highway assets primarily managed? 

Managed using	'X' where applicable
Discrete spreadsheets or documents held by individual teams
Multiple digital platforms with limited integration	X
A single digital platform or a set of connected platforms used across the highways service
Other

Further context

Highway asset inventory and condition information is maintained through a number of digital platforms, with Confirm operating as the council's core asset management system. A number of specialist digital asset management systems are used for different highway assets, such as structures, drainage, trees, lighting and signals, ensuring the most appropriate tool is used for each asset type and its specific data requirements. Where possible systems are integrated to provide a single source of asset information, bringing together inventory, condition, inspection and maintenance data. Integrating systems supports evidence-based decision making, long-term asset planning and the efficient management of Staffordshire's highway infrastructure.

Lifecycle planning and investment decision‑making

This section focuses on whether the authority uses lifecycle planning to inform maintenance investment decisions, rather than relying solely on reactive demand or short‑term pressures.

Lifecycle planning helps Staffordshire County Council make informed decisions about when and where to invest in highway maintenance, ensuring funding is used effectively and assets deliver the best possible value over their lifetime. Information on the condition, performance and expected deterioration of highway assets is held and analysed within the council's highway asset management systems, which is used to model future asset condition, identify maintenance needs and assess treatment options.

Proposed maintenance schemes are considered using a range of factors, including asset condition, safety, network importance, customer impact and value for money. This helps ensure that investment is targeted where it will deliver the greatest benefit to road users and local communities.

Together, these systems provide an evidence-based understanding of asset condition and future maintenance requirements, enabling Staffordshire County Council to take a proactive, risk-based approach to investment rather than relying solely on reactive repairs.

Question	Yes / No
Do you use lifecycle plans for carriageways to support maintenance investment decisions?	Yes
Do you use lifecycle plans for footways to support maintenance investment decisions?	Yes
Do you use lifecycle plans for structures  to support investment decisions?	Yes

Performance monitoring and continuous improvement

This section focuses on whether the authority monitors the effectiveness of its asset management approach and uses performance information to inform ongoing investment and prioritisation decisions.

Staffordshire County Council has established a comprehensive performance management framework to monitor the effectiveness of its highway asset management activities and ensure that investment delivers the intended outcomes. Performance is measured through a range of indicators, including national and local asset performance measures, customer feedback and corporate performance reporting.

A suite of operational and service delivery performance indicators is also incorporated within the Highway Maintenance contract, supporting continuous improvement in service delivery, asset performance and value for money. Performance is regularly reviewed through established governance arrangements, including the council’s Quality Performance Improvement Board, which provides oversight of performance trends, improvement actions and areas of strategic risk.

Asset condition surveys, maintenance outcomes and performance data are used to evaluate the effectiveness of current strategies and inform future investment decisions. This evidence-based approach ensures that Highway Asset Management Plans remain aligned with asset needs, available funding and organisational priorities. It also supports a risk-based approach to maintaining a safe, reliable, resilient and sustainable highway network for residents, businesses and visitors across Staffordshire.

Question	Answer
Do you have a defined set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor the outcomes of your highways asset management approach?	Yes
Are these KPIs reviewed on a regular basis (at least annually)?	Yes
Are KPI trends used to inform maintenance planning, prioritisation or changes to forward programmes or investment decisions?	Yes
Have you conducted a value for money review or peer review of your service in the last 3 years	Yes

Evidence Summary

The council is committed to continuous improvement and regularly reviews its performance, service delivery arrangements and value for money. Performance is monitored through a suite of key metrics that are reported and scrutinised through established governance arrangements. Recent activities have included a performance review to support the extension of the highway maintenance contract, an independent review undertaken by the Future Highways Research Group, and a value for money review commissioned by the council’s political leadership. Ongoing service-level reviews also help identify opportunities for improvement, with a current review focusing on the effectiveness and delivery of highway drainage services.

Maintaining footways and cycleways

For 2026/27, approximately 62 km of footways have been identified for preventative maintenance treatment, helping to extend the life of these assets and reduce the need for more extensive repairs in the future.

Footways and cycleways are managed using a risk-based approach, informed by routine inspections, condition data, customer reports and local knowledge. Alongside maintenance activities, the council coordinates services such as sweeping, grass cutting, weed control and vegetation management to help keep routes safe, accessible and attractive for pedestrians, cyclists and other users.

Further information on the council's Winter Service Plan and operational arrangements is available via - Winter driving | Staffordshire County Council.

Question	Answer
Do you have a defined footway hierarchy (e.g. based on footway function and usage levels) that underpins a risk‑based approach to inspection frequencies and maintenance programmes?	Yes
For 2026-27, please provide the length of footways that you have earmarked for structural maintenance / reconstruction / renewal	0 km
For 2026-27, please provide the length of footways that you have earmarked for preventative maintenance treatments	62 km
Are priority footways and cycleways included in your winter service (e.g. gritting or snow clearance), and in a routine programme for keeping them clear of overgrown vegetation and debris (e.g. sweeping, cutting back)?	Yes
For 2026-27, are you planning to deliver structural or preventative maintenance to cycleways which is not yet covered as part of your carriageway maintenance programmes or footway maintenance programmes (e.g. segregated cycleways that are not shared with pedestrians or motorists). If yes, please set out the length of such cycleways that you have earmarked for:	No
Structural maintenance / reconstruction (in km)	0 In km
Preventative maintenance treatments (in km)	0 In km

Please provide any brief additional information you consider helpful in explaining your approach to maintaining footways and cycleways 

Staffordshire County Council manages footways and cycleways using a risk-based asset management approach, with hierarchies informing inspection frequencies, maintenance standards and investment priorities. This ensures resources are targeted towards the most heavily used and critical routes, supporting safe, accessible and active travel. Maintenance activities include routine, preventative and structural interventions, with investment decisions informed by condition data, safety risk, usage and lifecycle planning to maintain network resilience and maximise asset value.

Drainage

Question	Answer
Reactive (incident- or failure-driven) maintenance	36 %
Planned maintenance (routine/cyclical and/or risk-based)	64 %
Does your authority utilise a digital drainage management platform, covering asset inventory, inspection history, sensor data, and risk scoring?	Yes
Do you maintain a record of locations where drainage issues are known to cause or contribute to carriageway deterioration or surface water ponding?	Yes
Do you utilise smart sensors or other remote monitoring technologies to monitor performance of your drainage assets. If yes please provide some high level information in bullet points below	Yes
Staffordshire County Council has piloted a range of smart technologies to improve highway drainage management.    Gully sensors installed within highway gullies to monitor conditions and provide data remotely.  More recent AI-enabled camera systems have successfully monitored trash screens and identified maintenance needs.  SCC is now piloting the Smart Shot monitoring system to provide regular visual assessments of culvert silt levels, supporting a shift towards proactive, risk-based maintenance.    Funded through Defra and EA flood risk grants, these technologies aim to reduce flood risk while improving community awareness and engagement through publicly accessible web-based platforms developed under the FAIR Innovation Programme.

Further context on approach to drainage asset management 

Staffordshire County Council adopts a risk-based approach to drainage asset management, combining planned cyclical maintenance with reactive responses to incidents and asset failures. Asset condition, inspection records, flooding history and known locations of carriageway deterioration or surface water ponding are used to prioritise interventions. 

The authority is increasingly using digital technologies, including remote sensors, AI-enabled monitoring and visual inspection systems, to improve intelligence-led decision making. These innovations support a proactive maintenance strategy, helping to target resources effectively, reduce flood risk, improve network resilience and minimise disruption for highway users.

Skills and training

Question	Answer
Do you have an up-to-date training and development plan for those responsible for highways asset management in your authority?	Yes
Do you or your main highways contractors support professional development through a recognised professional training scheme (e.g. Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) or Institution of Highway Engineers (IHE))?	Yes
Does your authority contribute towards the cost of professional membership or professional development required for relevant highways roles?	Yes
Do you employ a professionally qualified engineer (e.g. Chartered Engineer (CEng) or equivalent competence) with responsibility for the management of highway structures (either in house or through a contracted arrangement)?	Yes
Does your authority define competence requirements for key highways asset management roles and take steps to address any identified gaps (either directly or through contractual arrangements)?	Yes
Do you or your main contractors support early career development in your local area, for example through apprentice schemes, traineeships or pre-apprenticeship programmes, sponsored qualifications (e.g. HNC/HND, degree, MSc), graduate schemes etc	Yes

Further context on skills/training

Staffordshire County Council is committed to developing and maintaining the skills, knowledge and expertise needed to deliver effective highway asset management. Staff are supported through structured training and development programmes, while the council also operates an ICE-approved training scheme, accredited until June 2030, to support professional qualifications and progression towards professional registration. 

A wide range of development opportunities is available, including apprenticeships, graduate programmes, senior leadership development and sponsored qualifications such as Higher National Certificates and Higher National Diplomas. Competency requirements are defined for key asset management roles, and training is used to address identified skills gaps and support continuous professional development.

The council has access to professionally qualified engineers, including Chartered Engineers, through both in-house teams and contracted service providers. In addition, social value commitments within our contracts help create opportunities for future talent through apprenticeships, graduate schemes and sponsored qualifications, supporting skills development and career pathways.

Adapting roads to withstand climate pressures

Extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall, prolonged hot weather and freeze-thaw conditions, can affect the condition, performance and resilience of highway assets. Understanding these impacts helps the council make informed investment and maintenance decisions, improving asset durability, managing risk and delivering best value over the life of the asset. This supports the ongoing provision of a safe, resilient and sustainable highway network for residents, businesses and visitors.

Question	Yes/no
Have you updated your asset management policy and strategy to reflect the increased probability of extreme-weather and/or geohazards now and in the future?	Yes
Have you identified your resilient network and agree this with senior decision-makers	Yes
If yes when did you last update this.	03/2020
Have you identified locations that are repeatedly affected by extreme weather (e.g. flooding, heat damage, storms)?	Yes – known informally
Which climate‑adaptation measures are currently implemented on your network?
Targeted drainage upgrades or maintenance	Yes
Natural flood management / SuDS	Yes
targeted slope / ground stability / landslip mitigation	Yes
Heat‑resilient materials or surface treatments	Yes
Tree planting / shading for heat management	No
Have you measured and benchmarked the greenhouse gas emissions from your highways maintenance service using a recognised industry standard? Or do you have arrangements in place to do this, such as by signing up to the DfT funded ADEPT Carbon Leadership Programme.	Yes
Have you formally engaged with the DfT funded ADEPT live labs 2 Programme, to understand what lessons your authority can utilise to increase the efficiency of your operations and support decarbonisation efforts?	Yes

Further context on your adaptation / resilience activities 

The council has incorporated resilience to extreme weather events into its highway asset management approach. Our Asset Management Policy and Strategy have been updated to reflect the increasing challenges posed by heavy rainfall, prolonged hot weather and other severe weather events. In 2025, the council completed a comprehensive review of the highway network hierarchy, helping to prioritise routes that are most important to communities, businesses and emergency services.

To better understand and manage weather-related risks, the council has undertaken hotspot analysis to identify locations that are repeatedly affected by severe weather. We are also using open-source mapping data to identify embankments that may be at a higher risk of failure, enabling a more proactive approach to their management.

The council is also committed to delivering best value from its investment decisions. Through participation in the ADEPT Carbon Leadership Programme and the commissioning of an Impact and Preparedness Assessment, the council is improving its understanding of how future extreme weather conditions may affect highway assets, enabling investment and maintenance decisions to be targeted where they will deliver the greatest resilience and long-term value.

Innovation

Question	Yes / No
Do your procurement and contracting approaches encourage and reward innovative practice?	Yes
Can you demonstrate that innovative materials and practices are regularly reviewed and, where appropriate, integrated into business as usual operations?	Yes
If you have conducted innovation trials, have you shared the findings of these publicly or with professional networks?	Yes

Further context on your innovation activities

The authority promotes innovation through its strategic partnership with Amey, embedding continuous improvement within contract management, while actively collaborating through regional and national industry forums to share and adopt best practice. 

The council's in-house Highways Laboratory independently tests and evaluates emerging materials and techniques. Innovative products and processes are reviewed through the Highway Specification Group and, where trials prove successful, are incorporated into standard specifications and operational practices. 

The council maintains a public-facing innovation webpage that highlights new technologies, materials and approaches being trialled, alongside case studies that detail the objectives, outcomes and lessons learned.

Examples of innovations that have been adopted

Staffordshire Highways have a long history of embracing innovation to improve the way we maintain and manage our highway network. Working with partners, we oversee and enhance more than 6,000 km of roads across the county, using advanced technology, low-carbon materials and our own in-house highways laboratory to drive continuous improvement.

Recent examples of innovation include:

• Recycling solid waste generated from gully cleaning operations.
• Using the JCB Pothole Pro to increase the efficiency and speed of pothole repairs.
• Deploying drones and AI-powered road surveying technology to assess highway condition.
• Trialling and adopting low-carbon materials to reduce the environmental impact of maintenance activities.

We have also invested in a range of innovative repair techniques to ensure the right treatments are applied in the right locations, helping us maintain and improve the network as efficiently as possible. Alongside traditional cut-and-break repairs, we use methods such as velocity patching, screed repairs and the JCB Pothole Pro to deliver repairs at pace.

In 2024, enhancements to our customer reporting system improved the quality of information and updates provided to residents, supporting our wider investment in digital solutions and customer service.

Looking ahead, several innovation projects are in development, including:

• Spatial Mapping Tool: A pilot project that will provide a broader overview of all planned and ongoing highway works, improving coordination and visibility across the network.
• Supplier Directory and Register of Interests: A centralised platform that collates enquiries and opportunities from a range of sources, helping to engage suppliers more effectively and support innovation across the service.

Through continued investment in technology, digital tools and innovative working practices, we are improving efficiency, enhancing the customer experience and delivering better outcomes for road users.

Working with utility companies to reduce disruption to road users

Question	Yes / No
Do you routinely monitor and enforce utility works quality as part of your streetworks management?	Yes
Have you undertaken a senior‑endorsed assessment of whether a lane rental scheme would be suitable for your area?	No
Do you seek input from utility companies when determining your highways maintenance programme to help reduce disruption?	Yes
Have you conducted and published a permit scheme evaluation within the last three years?	Yes
Have you conducted a traffic sensitive review in the last three years?	Yes

Further context

The Authority monitors and enforces the quality of utility works and works closely with utility companies to minimise disruption through coordinated maintenance programmes.

A permit scheme evaluation was completed in 2023, with the next review scheduled for 2027. A Traffic Sensitive Review (TSR) is underway, with consultation complete and responses reviewed with an anticipated implementation imminently. The TSR will support network management and inform disruption-reduction measures, including consideration of a lane rental scheme. These activities are supported by a member-led Highway Roadmap that promotes collaborative planning, coordinated works and continuous improvement to reduce congestion and keep Staffordshire moving. 

Managing highways maintenance contracts effectively

Question	Yes / No
Does your authority retain in‑house technical capability to independently assess maintenance interventions proposed by contractors?	Yes
Do you routinely analyse actual unit costs (for example £/m² of road surface treatments, or £/pothole repair) for core highways maintenance activities delivered under contract and compare them against benchmarks or historic performance?	Yes
Do you have defined KPIs for your highways maintenance contract(s), and are they actively monitored by your authority to manage performance?	Yes
If reactive pothole repairs are delivered by a contractor, do your contracting arrangements incentivise single‑visit permanent repairs where it is safe and appropriate to do so?	Yes

Further context

Staffordshire County Council maintains strong in-house technical expertise through its experienced highways team and nationally recognised Highways Laboratory, providing independent assurance that maintenance activities are effective, proportionate and deliver value for money.

Performance of the Highway Maintenance contract is monitored through a comprehensive suite of key performance indicators covering service delivery, quality, safety, customer outcomes and efficiency. These are regularly reviewed with Amey and supported by analysis of costs, productivity and treatment performance to drive continuous improvement.

The council regularly assesses value for money through market testing, benchmarking and annual rate reviews linked to recognised industry indices. Assessments consider quality, performance, resilience and customer outcomes alongside cost. Major structural maintenance schemes are priced on a project-specific basis and supported by market-tested supply chain rates, helping to ensure investment delivers the best overall value.