Public performance reports

A high quality and well maintained road network matters to everyone in South Lanarkshire. Businesses use it to deliver goods and services; workers use it to get to and from their place of work; families use it during their everyday lives; and some use it to access leisure opportunities. The road network is therefore critical to our economic success and to the wellbeing of our communities. Good public transport helps reduce the number of cars on the roads and allows everyone, whether they own a car or not, to access the services and opportunities they need. In response to the feedback received from residents through numerous surveys, and in recognition of the condition of the road network, the council has placed a high priority on improving roads and footways. You can access the council’s Local Transport Strategy which sets out the council’s policies and actions in relation to roads and transportation in South Lanarkshire over the period, 2013–2023. The next strategy is scheduled for publication in late 2025. 

Fleet Services manage and maintain the council's fleet of over 1,400 vehicles. The vehicle fleet includes those used for refuse collection, roads maintenance, street sweeping, and passenger transport. The service ensures vehicle safety and roadworthiness and limiting vehicle exhaust emissions by operating a robust maintenance regime. In doing so, operational downtime is limited.

For further information on the services available relating to the road network, follow the link to our webpage Transport and streets.

How much of our road network is in need of repair? – Target <30.8%

What this means
This indicator shows the percentage of the road network that should be considered for maintenance treatment, based on information from the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS) Scottish Road Maintenance Condition Survey. Roads within South Lanarkshire Council are surveyed by a machine, which collects various characteristics of the road condition. ‘Considered for maintenance treatment’ means that there is likely to be some defect in the condition of the road.

Why this matters
Councils spend a significant amount of money on road maintenance. This is an indicator that looks at the quality of South Lanarkshire Council’s roads and supplements the data in this report on cost of road maintenance.

Our performance and how we compare

How we have performed in improving this public service
The percentage of the road network that should be considered for maintenance for the period 2022-24 is 31.9% and indicates a regression of 1.1% of the amount of our road network when compared with the 2022-23 figure (30.8%). Further regression in road conditions may be expected in future years. The current level of funding falls well below what is required to maintain the road network in its current condition (steady state).

Percentage of road network resurfaced - Target 2.1%

What this means
Roads are routinely assessed for inclusion within routine and planned maintenance programmes. An annual resurfacing programme is prepared to target our limited funds towards those roads that are in greatest need of resurfacing. This indicator details the percentage of our road network that is resurfaced / treated as part of our annual surfacing programme to improve / extend their life.

Why this matters
The council has a statutory duty to manage and maintain the road network so as to allow the safe and prompt movement of traffic. This indicator shows the extent of the council’s maintenance activities in any one year.

Our performance and how we compare

How we have performed in improving this public service
Progress has continued on our annual surfacing programme with 2.62% receiving maintenance treatment, exceeding our target of 2.1%.

% of council vehicles presented externally for an MOT, without additional work being required - Target - 95%

What this means
The MOT test is an annual test of vehicle safety, roadworthiness and exhaust emissions and is required in Great Britain for most vehicles over three years old. The council ensures that all of its vehicle fleet receives an MOT, with the majority of vehicles checked by the council’s trained and licensed MOT inspectors and the remainder sent to external inspectors. The figure below shows the pass rate for all MOTs carried out externally and includes only those which passed first time.

Why this matters
A high MOT rate means that the council’s fleet of vehicles is being maintained to a high level throughout the year. Passing the MOT first time is cost effective as it means that a second MOT does not require to be paid for.

Our performance and how we compare

How we have performed in improving this public service
Of the 197 vehicles presented externally for an MOT in 2023-24, 189 of them passed first time without any additional work being necessary. Of the eight vehicles that failed an MOT, five of them were able to be repaired on-site and passed later that same day, so minimising operational downtime and eliminating unnecessary travel to and from the test centre, Fleet continue to perform well in this area, exceeding the 95% pass rate.

Number of people killed or seriously injured on roads

What this means
This indicator reports on the number of people killed or seriously injured on the South Lanarkshire road network.

Why this matters
A key objective for the council is to proactively reduce casualties on the South Lanarkshire road network. We have attempted to achieve this in a number of ways; through specific engineering measures at schools; through speed limiting initiatives; and by incorporating enhanced road markings, road studs, upgraded warning signage, anti-skid surfacing and visibility improvements.

Our performance and how we compare

How we have performed in improving this public service
The figures in 2021 and 2022 were greatly impacted by Covid-19 travel restrictions with fewer people and less traffic on the roads. 

For further information on our road safety services, follow the links to our web pages: Road safety services, Primary school road safety play and Pre-school road safety.

We will take forward the following key areas for improvement:

• seek to maintain the condition of our road network through implementation of our Roads Investment Programme
• continue to focus on road accident reduction projects, with the aim of reducing road casualties on the roads of South Lanarkshire and making roads safer for all users
• Produce a new Local Transport Strategy for South Lanarkshire to support the National and Regional Transport Strategy as well as the provisions, where appropriate, of the Transport Scotland Act

• Roads in winter
• Watch a short video on winter roads maintenance

Resource Plans are prepared each year by all council Resources to outline the key developments they intend to take forward in the year. Performance and actions relating to roads and lighting can be found in the Community and Enterprise Resource Plan

Twice a year, performance reports are presented to council committees on progress against the Resource Plans. In addition, reports detailing progress against the Council Plan Connect Outcomes are prepared - see Quarter 2 performance reports.

More information on our outcomes can be found in the Council Plan Connect and also the Annual Performance Spotlights.

Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) allows councils to work together, to use performance information in a way which will help understand variations, share knowledge, expertise and good practice, with a view to making improvements. At the core of the framework is an agreed suite of performance indicators. We report the results for these indicators, over time, on the website. Additionally, you can compare our LGBF results with other councils' using the mylocalcouncil tool. Not all local authorities are alike and so family groups of eight ‘similar’ councils have been set up for comparison purposes. Workshops take place throughout the year to discuss the indicators and results – South Lanarkshire Council is actively involved in these discussions.

The information contained within this report reflects the position based on the data available at the time of publication (March 2025)