Labour’s promise to fix an additional one million potholes across England annually appears to be in jeopardy, as new data suggests councils are struggling to meet the targets. A recent investigation by Full Fact, the UK’s leading fact-checking charity, highlights the difficulty of delivering on the pledge, given the current trends in pothole repairs.
In its 2024 manifesto, Labour committed to fixing an extra one million potholes each year throughout the next Parliament. However, an in-depth analysis of data from over 150 local highway authorities reveals that pothole repairs are not increasing as anticipated. In fact, repairs dropped by 3.5% in 2024/25 compared to the previous year, and early estimates from 85 councils for 2025/26 show no significant increase in pothole repairs.
Challenges in Meeting Labour’s Pothole Pledge
The data compiled by Full Fact paints a picture of inconsistent efforts to tackle potholes across England. In total, 149 councils reported filling in 1.85 million potholes in 2024/25, suggesting that at least 2.85 million potholes would need to be repaired in 2025/26 to fulfill Labour’s pledge. However, the number of potholes fixed in 2024/25 dropped by approximately 64,000 compared to the previous year.
Estimates from 146 councils over the past two years show that the overall number of potholes repaired has slightly decreased. While a report by the Asphalt Industry Alliance had predicted 1.9 million potholes would be fixed in 2024/25, Full Fact’s findings suggest that the reality fell short of expectations.
As part of its efforts to address the pothole issue, the UK Government committed to providing more than £2 billion annually by 2029/30 to local authorities for road maintenance. Despite this, the funding was tied to the requirement for councils to submit detailed reports on the state of their road networks, with a portion of the funding contingent on these reports being submitted by June 2025.
Variability in Repair Estimates Across Councils
The investigation also found significant discrepancies in the way potholes are counted and reported by different councils, making it difficult to compare data accurately. For example, some councils might count clusters of potholes as one repair, while others count each individual hole separately. This variation leads to inconsistencies in the official statistics, with some councils reporting notably different numbers of repairs.
For instance, Birmingham City Council reported a sharp decline in potholes fixed in 2024/25, from 9,332 in 2023/24 to 4,514. In contrast, it projected a 50% increase in repairs for 2025/26, estimating 6,788 potholes would be filled. North Tyneside Borough Council expected repairs to stay relatively constant, with an estimated 6,000 potholes fixed, while South Gloucestershire Council anticipated a decrease of 18%, filling around 10,000 potholes compared to 12,148 in the previous year.
Notably, South Gloucestershire explained its reduced forecast by pointing to a period of drier weather in 2025, which has led to fewer potholes forming compared to previous years, when heavy rainfall contributed to an increase in repairs.
The variation in pothole repair data across councils underscores the complexity of measuring and addressing the issue. Without a unified approach or consistent data collection practices, assessing the true scale of the problem remains a challenge.
As Labour faces growing scrutiny over its pothole pledge, questions remain about whether the necessary resources and strategies will be put in place to fulfill the promise, especially given the unpredictable nature of road repairs and weather patterns that contribute to pothole formation.
