Government declares warfare on ‘pothole plague’ with these areas worst affected
Potholes in the UK have been the bane of drivers lives for years – but Keir Starmer has set out a new long term plan to ensure that they’re dealt with promptly
The government warned councils that it will withdraw funding unless they work on fixing the ‘pothole plague’ sweeping across the UK.
Under new official government plans, councils that fail to publish updates losing out on millions in funding. The Department for Transport (DfT) revealed local authorities’ road maintenance pot would be boosted by £500million from mid-April, but the condition remains that councils must publish annual reports on progress of fixing potholes or lose a quarter of that extra funding.
Keir Starmer said it would create a ratings system between areas in the UK so they “know who is the best and who is not the best,” according to the BBC. However in response to this, the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils, said the government should focus on preventative action rather than “reactively” fixing potholes.
They added that fixing the issue would take than a decade and cost almost £17billion. This information from Asphalt Industry Alliance adds to data from the RAC, which claims there are six potholes for every mile of road in England and Wales.
All councils will get 75% of the extra cash, but 25% will be withheld if they cannot oblige and send these reports or show progress.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC a RAG (red, amber, green) rating system would be produced for councils on pothole maintenance. He said that “until now, nobody has known how many potholes are being filled and where there being filled”.
“We all have the experience of driving from one place to the next and we know some places are better than others,” he said, adding that the RAG system will help to avoid “the lottery that we have now”.
As for which areas need the most help, some are worse off than others. Data from FixMyStreet.com, shows that 69 councils each have over 1,000 potholes left unrepaired, with Cheshire East Council topping the list with a staggering 17,191 open reports.
Almost 80 councils have potholes first reported as far back as 2007 still marked as unresolved, according to new analysis by Tempcover.
Council
Oldest reported pothole
Open pothole reports
Cheshire East Council
Mon 9 March 2020
17,191
Hertfordshire County Council
Wed 25 April 2007
12,650
Essex County Council
Wed 20 June 2007
11,190
Buckinghamshire Council
Mon 13 January 2020
9,793
Glasgow City Council
Thu 22 March 2007
8,933
Kent County Council
Tue 10 April 2007
7,571
West Sussex County Council
Fri 27 April 2007
7,555
Birmingham City Council
Sat 21 April 2007
6,675
Among the longest-standing potholes in the UK is one located in Bottom o’ th’ Moor, a village near Bolton, which was reported on April 6, 2007, yet remains unfilled. Users of FixMyStreet.com have warned that potholes like this one pose a significant hazard to motorcycles and other road users.
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