Derbyshire was given a red rating based on its “current road condition”, according to the government., external
This is predominantly based on the latest data in Derbyshire’s transparency report, external, which points to 28% of A-roads in red (poor) condition, 38% of B/C roads and 36% of U-roads.
However, this data is up to 2024, so it is difficult to judge the current state of the roads by these metrics.
The Department for Transport told the BBC it is “categorically untrue” it “mishandled or ignored” data, as some opponents claimed.
But it is accurate to say the data is old.
Labour representatives in Derbyshire said in a press release that Reform’s failure to “get a grip of the problem” was “shameful”.
Erewash’s Labour MP Adam Thompson said the figures showed up Reform UK’s “bragging” about their handling of the pothole problem.
But Labour MP for South Derbyshire, Samantha Niblett, amended her initial social media post on Sunday, stating it painted a more nuanced picture than initially claimed.
She wrote, external: “The data for this covers a period of time before Reform took over.”
Reform UK won control of Derbyshire County Council in May 2025, replacing the Conservatives, but did not have a fully formed administration in place until about June.
Elsewhere in the data, Derbyshire scored “amber” under the “spend” and “best practice” scorecards, seemingly the most common score among all England’s 154 local highways authorities listed.
The Department for Transport said the data for these amber-rated metrics came from 2025-26.