Local highways maintenance transparency report 2026 to 2027 -

Introduction

The full local highways maintenance transparency report 2026 to 2027 can be downloaded below. It contains the:

• core report 
• technical annex

The core report can also be read below. It gives an overview on:

• what we are responsible for maintaining
• road conditions
• potholes and road defects
• funding
• maintenance plans for the year

What we are responsible for maintaining

We are responsible for maintaining: 

• carriageways - 483 km
• footways - 592 km
• cycleways - 54 km
• structures (PDF, 4.4 MB)- 193
• lamp columns (PDF, 4.4 MB) - 14,140
• drainage gullies (PDF, 4.4 MB) - 21,598

Bracknell Forest Council maintains a substantial and varied network shaped by both New Town infrastructure and older village streets. Much of Bracknell’s planned highway network dates from the late 1950s and 1960s. This means that a significant proportion of assets are now ageing and require increasing levels of maintenance. 

Key challenges include balancing investment across busy strategic routes, residential roads, footways and cycleways. We must also maintain drainage, structures and lighting assets.

Traffic loading, weather impacts such as prolonged rainfall and freeze-thaw conditions and the need to manage whole-life costs all influence deterioration rates. 

The borough’s mix of modern distributor roads, roundabouts, subways and historic streets also means maintenance solutions must be tailored to local context.

The council’s asset management approach, set out in the Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan (HIAMP) and Highway Management and Maintenance Plan (HMMP), is therefore based on: 

• risk
• condition
• lifecycle planning
• targeted preventative maintenance

This is to make best use of available funding.

Road conditions

Road condition assessments on the local classified road network in England (including the roads within Bracknell Forest) are predominantly undertaken using Surface Condition Assessment for the National Network of Roads (SCANNER) laser-based technology.  These surveys are undertaken annually.

A number of parameters measured by these surveys are used to produce a road condition indicator which is categorised into 3 categories. These are:

• Green – generally in a good state of repair with no further investigation or treatment required at this time.
• Amber – some deterioration is apparent which should be investigated to determine the optimum time for planned maintenance work.
• Red – should be considered for maintenance within an upcoming programme due to the extent of carriageway surface that requires repair. 

The A, B and C road condition data is collected by a specialised contractor on an annual basis. The SCANNER data is collected between spring and autumn, but at different times each year to allow for differing weather and fluctuating road conditions.

The borough’s U roads (predominantly residential and unclassified rural roads) are surveyed bi-annually, with the north of the borough surveyed one year and the south the next year, on an ongoing basis. A specialist contractor visits each road and visually inspects the road, known as a coarse visual inspection survey.

The tables below give details of the split of road condition over the Bracknell Forest Council area.

Additional information on condition

This data shows that road condition is generally improving within Bracknell Forest, which ties into the council committing to fund an additional £4 million over a 3 year period (2022 to 2026). The 2026 figures are not yet reported to the Department for Transport but show a continued improvement for most road categories. 

Potholes and other road defects

Potholes

In Bracknell Forest, a pothole is treated as a carriageway defect where surface material has broken away and the defect meets the council’s investigatory level or presents a significant safety risk.

Under the HMMP, the normal investigatory level for carriageway potholes, failed reinstatements, missing slabs, sunken tracks and low, loose or damaged ironwork is 40mm where the defect is greater than 150mm diameter.

Depressions or humps greater than 2000mm long and 600mm wide are also investigated at 40mm.

Each defect is risk assessed, considering: 

• road hierarchy
• traffic speed and volume
• position in the carriageway
• user vulnerability

Category 1 defects requiring an emergency response are attended to or made safe within 2 hours.

Category 2 defects requiring urgent attention are made safe within 24 hours.

Lower-risk defects may be repaired within 28 days or monitored for planned maintenance.

Tackling potholes

Bracknell Forest tackles potholes through a risk-based service set out in the HMMP 2023 and supported by the HIAMP. The HMMP sets out: 

• inspection frequencies
• investigatory levels
• defect categories
• response times for reactive maintenance

The HIAMP provides the wider framework for lifecycle planning, risk management and investment prioritisation. 

Defects identified through safety inspections, public reports and local knowledge are assessed against published intervention criteria and directed to the most appropriate treatment. This includes:

• urgent make-safe works
• temporary repair
• permanent repair
• patching
• resurfacing
• preventative maintenance

Treatment depends on:

• risk
• location
• network hierarchy
• condition

In line with the council’s asset management approach, permanent repairs are prioritised where safe and practical. Temporary or make-safe repairs are used where a first-time permanent repair is not suitable. This could be because of:

• immediate safety
• traffic management
• weather
• material availability
• programme constraints

Bracknell Forest is also investing significant capital funding in preventative maintenance, including treatments such as surface dressing, to slow deterioration, reduce repeat short-term fixes and target funding where it delivers the best whole-life value.

Our pothole records show that the council repaired an estimated 1,007 potholes during 2024 to 2025. The current estimate for 2025 to 2026 is 1,548 potholes repaired.

Reporting potholes and other highway defects

Members of the public can report highway defects online. This includes:

• potholes
• damaged roads
• pavements
• kerbs
• drainage
• gullies
• road markings

Information on pothole performance is also published on the council’s pothole repairs webpage.

Anyone who is not able to report an issue online can contact Customer Services on 01344 352000 for help.

After a pothole is reported

When a pothole or highway defect is reported, it is logged and assessed against the council’s inspection and risk-based intervention criteria. If the defect meets investigatory levels or presents an immediate safety risk, it is prioritised for attendance within the appropriate response category.

High-risk defects are made safe urgently, typically within 2 hours. Lower-risk defects may be programmed for permanent repair, patching, or inclusion in planned maintenance within 7 days.

Defects that do not meet intervention criteria are recorded for monitoring and future review. Customers receive an acknowledgement and, where no action is required, a follow-up explanation.

Highway network maintenance funding

Maintenance plans for 2026 to 2027

In 2026 to 2027, we plan to carry out:

• inlay surfacing to all classes of roads for 2 months between August and October, with 8km of carriageway to be resurfaced for £3,190,000 
• preventative road surface treatments for 6km of carriageway, from May to June 2026, for £1,350,000 
• footway and cycleway surface preventative treatments in March 2027 for £200,000
• localised remedial works and preventative works in isolation to maintain integrity of carriageways and footways for £660,000
• structures, with 2 major schemes aimed at the summer holidays 2026, for £370,000 
• drainage for £220,000
• electrical maintenance for £580,000

You can find a full list of planned carriageway and footway works on our proposed roads re-surfacing programme page. 

Decision-making on maintenance plans

Bracknell Forest prioritises highways maintenance using a risk-based, evidence-led asset management approach. Investment decisions are informed by: 

• asset condition data collected annually
• safety inspections
• road hierarchy
• lifecycle planning
• scheme costs
• network resilience
• whole-life value

This helps target the right treatment at the right time, balancing structural maintenance, preventative treatments and reactive repairs.

The annual works programme draws on survey data, local knowledge and asset performance information. Priority is given to locations where intervention will best manage risk, slow deterioration and reduce future cost.

Efficiency is improved by: 

• coordinating works across asset types
• aligning programmes with available funding
• favouring preventative and permanent repairs where appropriate to reduce repeat visits

Previous reports

View the Local highways maintenance transparency report 2025 to 2026.