DfT offers free peer reviews to councils in the 'red rating'

The 13 highway authorities with the lowest level highways maintenance ratings ('red') in England are being offered a free peer review through the Local Government Association (LGA) this financial year, Highways can reveal.

The LGA said it has already engaged with 'interested councils' and is currently advertising for people to carry out the reviews.

Peer reviews, or strategic reviews as they were often called, for local highways departments were rolled out under the former Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme. Between 2012 and 2018, a total of 31 reviews were carried out by the LGA through HMEP - with the full review process costing councils £13,450 in total.

Strategic reviews in highways declined with the end of HMEP, continuing much more intermittently in the years since.

However, in a recent message to members, the LGA said: 'On behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT), the LGA has been commissioned to deliver a programme of targeted peer challenges in 2026/27. The Strategic Highways Peer Challenge programme aims to support a small number of councils to strengthen strategic alignment, service delivery, and operational leadership and effectiveness of the highway's maintenance.

'To support the delivery of this sector support programme, we are seeking officer peers with experience of leading highways services at a senior level. If you are interested in registering to be a peer and supporting this programme, please contact Ernest Opuni ernest.opuni@local.gov.uk.'

The DfT confirmed that it has already invited the 13 authorities to participate in the reviews.

A DfT spokesperson told Highways: 'We're providing a record £7.3bn in long-term funding to help councils resurface roads, and we are holding them to account with our new ratings list, which shines a light of transparency on their work to fix potholes. This programme will help red-rated councils improve road maintenance, so they can make the most of our record investment in local roads.'

The DfT is spending £300,000 on the programme this financial year and has confirmed the reviews must take place by the end of the year.

The LGA told Highways that the aim is to support as many authorities as possible within the funding that we have been provided until the end of March 2027. 

Even at their peak, the LGA never managed to carry out as many as 13 highway peer reviews in one year. 

The LGA said: 'The funding will enable the LGA to deliver 13 peer challenges with peers initially secured through the LGA peer network. The LGA continuously looks for fresh ideas and learning to support the sector and hence will continue to ensure that it has the right cohort of peers to support the strategic highways peer challenge and other programmes.'

Highways understands that there are no sanctions associated with the programme for councils that choose not to accept the offer - participation is voluntary for local highway authorities, DfT stressed.

The ratings system that assigned councils to red, amber and green maintenance levels has proven controversial.

Senior figures in the sector noted apparent inconsistencies in the transparency reports councils submitted to DfT that formed the basis of the ratings.

Suffolk County Council went so far as to announce it was appealing its rating. However, the DfT categorically dismissed this criticism.