By George Lythgoe

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 - including Stockport - 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.

Here are Stockport's stats at a glance:

• 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."

In a letter to Stockport Council leader Mark Roberts, Stockport MP Navendu Mishra said: "After 14 years of austerity and cuts to local government funding, this Government is committed to restoring pride in our communities and the places we call home.

"This includes cracking down on the crater-marked roads and crumbling pavements that motorists across my constituency have endured for too long."

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