Liberal Democrat Peter Thornton, whose brief oversees highways for Westmorland and Furness, said the rating “does not reflect the overall performance of our rural authority.”
“Historic under investment has meant that councils have not necessarily had the resources to maintain roads in the way that they would want to,” he said.
Labour’s Denise Rollo, who is Cumberland Council’s highways lead, said the council was confident it would progress quickly on the required improvements.
“It is important to note that for each individual category – road condition, capital spend, and best practice – our rating is amber,” she added.
“Since this announcement, we have already held meetings with ministers and officials to understand the methodology behind the overall rating and to identify steps for improvement.
“A lower result does not necessarily reflect a lack of strategy and ambition.”