In a surprising result, a West London council grappling with financial constraints has been ranked among the top local authorities in England for maintaining its roads.
London's road maintenance leaders
Hillingdon Council is one of only fifteen councils across the country, and just one of two in London, to receive a 'good' overall rating from the government for its highways upkeep. The other London borough to achieve this standard is Lewisham.
The assessment, published in January 2026, judged authorities against three key metrics: the condition of their roads, the amount spent on maintenance, and how effectively they follow best practice in highway management. The data was drawn from official statistics and councils' own published reports.
Hillingdon scored a 'green' rating for both the condition of its roads and its level of maintenance spending. It received an 'amber' for its adoption of wider best practices. This identical score profile was matched by Lewisham Council.
Beating the pothole problem with technology
The positive news comes despite significant financial challenges for the Conservative-led council. The government's study specifically highlighted that Hillingdon, along with Hounslow and Bexley, had done the most over the past year to tackle potholes.
So, how is Hillingdon achieving this? The council credits its embrace of "cutting-edge" and AI-supported technologies. It uses artificial intelligence in road condition surveys to inform and streamline its pothole repair process, which it describes as a "new innovative process."
This tech-driven approach has yielded clear results. The council has repaired 1,020 potholes across the borough in the last two years. This represents a steady year-on-year increase from 713 in 2021/22 and 844 in 2022/23.
A wider picture of road conditions in the capital
The success in Hillingdon stands in stark contrast to the broader picture in London. The capital generally received poor scores, with London boroughs making up eight of the bottom eleven councils in England for their response to potholes.
The government believes that publishing these ratings will help identify where councils need to improve and drive up standards nationwide. In Hillingdon, the forward plan includes resurfacing a projected 11km of carriageway in 2025-26, with a further 1km receiving preventative treatment.
A spokesperson for Hillingdon Council said: “As the borough with the second-largest road network in London we’re pleased the government has recognised the positive work we undertake to help keep our highways safe and traffic flowing. This green rating demonstrates our commitment to best practice.”
The council also noted that its work is supported by an annual budget for planned and reactive works, supplemented by additional funding from the Department for Transport.
