LGA responds to RAC and Channel 4 Dispatches analysis on potholes

Responding to an analysis by the RAC and Channel 4 Dispatches of pothole repairs by councils, Cllr Darren Rodwell, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said:

“Councils are on the side of all road users and want to focus on properly resurfacing our roads, including tackling the £16.3 billion backlog of road repairs.

“Many factors affect repair rates, such as the road profile, traffic levels and available budgets. Councils would much prefer to focus on preventative repairs but only greater, year-on-year long-term funding certainty for maintaining all parts of our highways will help them achieve this.

“The Government should award council Highways Departments five-yearly funding allocations, on a par with National Highways, to give them more certainty to develop resurfacing programmes and other improvements to help prevent potholes in the first place.”