'Keep up the pressure for improved roads on National Pothole Day'

If you want to understand how people really feel about the state of our roads, you don't need a technical report - you just need to listen.

- Adam Jogee - MP for Newcastle

In emails, at advice surgeries and in conversations around Newcastle-under-Lyme, the same frustrations come up time and again: potholes left unaddressed, uneven surfaces, and repairs that don't seem to last very long if they happen at all.

That everyday experience now has an official marker.

In the first ever national assessment of how well councils maintain their roads, Staffordshire County Council has been given an 'amber' rating.

The assessment looks at the condition of roads, how effectively funding is being used, and whether councils are following best practice to deliver long-term improvements.

For local people in Newcastle-under-Lyme who use our roads, this rating is no surprise. An amber rating is not a technical footnote - it is a clear signal that the current approach is falling short of what people expect and deserve.