County council leader Steve Jarvis has stressed that fixing roads is a "top priority" in Hertfordshire, after the Government rated the county 'amber' in its new traffic light system for the condition of roads.

Every highway authority in the country has been given a red, amber or green rating based on the state of local roads, the amount being spent on repairs and and whether 'best practice' is being followed.

The Government says this is designed to enable residents to see which authorities are fixing potholes effectively.

According to the new system, Hertfordshire County Council's (HCC) amber rating suggests "room for improvement" in some areas.

That's the same as almost all of its neighbouring authorities – except Essex and Hillingdon, which were awarded the highest 'green' rating.

HCC's Liberal Democrat leader, Cllr Steve Jarvis, says the council is still reviewing the methodology used by the Government – but he stressed that fixing the county's roads is a "top priority", with proposals to spend £77 million on highways and transport services in 2026-27.

"We recognise the importance of the state of our roads to our residents and businesses and the key role they play in all our lives," he said.

"This is why fixing them is a top priority and why we set out plans for further investment in them in our recently published budget for the new financial year.

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"We're switching more of our highways spend into fixing road surfaces, targeting repairs where they will have the most impact.

"We'll continue to focus on fixing potholes, using new technology to tackle more in a single visit and fix more defects at an earlier stage before they become more problematic."

According to HCC's 2026-27 budget proposals, there are plans to deliver more than 1,000 schemes to maintain and improve carriageways, cycleways and footways across the county. Funds have been earmarked for the repair of "shallow" potholes too.

Cllr Jarvis said: "Next year we'll be spending £77 million on our highways and transport services so residents have a safe, efficient and sustainable transport network that meets their needs.

"We're also building for the future with £377 million capital investment over the next four years in developing and maintaining Hertfordshire's roads and £98 million investment in projects to improve active and public transport."

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "We've put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding for local highway authorities with £7.3 billion to fix roads and give them the long-term certainty they've been asking for.

"Now it's over to them to spend the money wisely, and for the first time we are making sure the public can see how well councils are doing in delivering the improvements they want to see in their local area.

"This Government's record investment will save drivers money on repairs, make roads safer and help restore pride in our communities."

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