Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson MSP has today revealed the
“dire state” of Scotland's roads after research by his party
found that motorists have lodged over 7,000 pothole claims since
2022, with one council claiming it could take more than 50 years
to fix its maintenance backlog.
Responses from 26 councils to freedom of information requests by
the Scottish Liberal Democrats uncovered that there have been
7,524 pothole claims since 2022. These represent claims that
motorists have made to the local authority for damage done to
their vehicle by a pothole.
In Dumfries and Galloway, where there were 810 claims lodged in
2022-23, more than half of claims were paid out. In the same
council in 2023-24, there were 802 claims. 248 have already
resulted in pay outs, with 442 cases still open.
In Fife in 2022-23, motorists lodged 334 pothole claims and 85%
of these claims were paid out. In the same year in Glasgow, there
were 593 pothole claims, 66% of which were paid out.
The Scottish Liberal Democrat research also found that at least
27 councils are experiencing a backlog with road maintenance
issues, with some councils reporting that it would take many
years to resolve existing issues.
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar said it would take 52 years to clear
its road maintenance backlog. Clackmannanshire gave an estimate
of 25+ years, Dumfries and Galloway 16.9 years, Shetland 12.5
years, West Lothian 10 years, Renfrewshire 8 years and Orkney
12-18 months.
Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson MSP said:
“Under this SNP government, potholes have become a plague on our
roads. Motorists should not have to spend their journeys hitting
potholes or dangerously swerving around an obstacle course of
tarmac craters.
“For many years, the SNP have slashed funding for councils and
left communities to muddle through. In some parts of the country,
people are waiting half a century for existing issues to be
resolved. We need to end this postcode lottery because it poses a
very real risk to safety on the roads.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats have set out plans to fix Scotland's
crumbling infrastructure, including cavernous potholes. That
starts by better supporting local authorities and giving them the
fair deal they deserve.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
You can find a full spreadsheet setting out councils'
responses here
