Councils assessed on effectiveness of pothole repairs
The government has introduced a new traffic light system that assesses local authorities on pothole repairs.
The new red, amber and green ratings have been applied to 154 local highway authorities (LHA) based on the state of roads in their areas and how effectively potholes are being repaired.
The ratings are based on three things: the condition of local roads; how much LHAs are spending on road repairs; and whether they are following best practice in maintaining highways.
It is estimated there are around six potholes per mile on council-controlled roads in England and Wales with repairs for pothole-related repairers averaging £320 per incident.
Meanwhile, a new interactive map reveals the ratings throughout the UK, following the government’s £7.3bn investment in long-term solutions to improving the state of roads.
Pothole bill
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “For too long, drivers have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate. I have heard time and again their frustration on footing the bill because they hit a pothole – money they should never have to spend in the first place.
“We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding for local highway authorities with £7.3bn to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have 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. “
Held to account
Edmund King, AA president and founding member of the Pothole Partnership, added: “The top transport demand for 96% of AA members is fixing potholes with increased investment in repairing and upgrading roads.
“We welcome this government initiative to hold local highways authorities to account, which should help to promote the Pothole Partnership objective of more proactive and permanent repairs.”
Positive move
RAC head of policy Simon Williams concluded: “These new ratings are a positive move that will help drivers understand how councils are performing when it comes to improving the state of local roads. While there are examples of good road maintenance practice taking place, this isn’t consistent across the country and means drivers have, for too long, been left with substandard roads.
“We hope this initiative, plus the promise of longer-term funding for councils to allow them to plan and carry out much-needed preventative maintenance, means we’re finally on the way to having smoother, better roads.”
