‘POTHOLES like ponds’ are taking too long to fix around Warwickshire, according to a group of concerned councillors.
Members of Rugby Borough Council’s Labour Group have called for pothole problems around the county to be addressed by Warwickshire County Council (WCC).
WCC was given an additional £2.8million in the Chancellor’s Spring Budget to repair potholes – a share of an extra £200million allocated to local authorities across England to maintain and improve their roads.
But the Labour councillors say a failure to repair potholes is ‘bringing misery’ to residents.
Coun Barbara Brown, who represents New Bilton and Overslade, said: “Some of the potholes around my ward are spectacular.
“For example, Avenue Road has potholes like ponds, which were first reported in 2022. Over time, these have gotten a lot worse. Given they are right by a car park which has had its street light removed, they are a danger to the public.
“We need these fixed now, because the longer they are left the more difficult the repair job becomes.”
Labour County Council Group Leader Coun John Holland said: “We know long delays exist. We are calling on WCC to deal with this issue urgently, as we are at risk of paying compensation for damage to residents’ cars.”
Benn Ward Councillor Sarah Feeney added: “Warwickshire took 304 days to repair one pothole – nearly a year is just too long to wait.
“The £200million promised nationally for pothole repair doesn’t fill the huge £400million cut in the highways budget that the Conservative Government made in 2021.”
A WCC spokesperson said: “Last financial year, we received 3,474 reports of potholes, and we repaired 5,868. We always repair more than reported, as we pick up pothole and other defects using our inspection teams.”
Last month, an Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) survey found local authorities across the Midlands would have needed an extra £9million each on average last year just to reach their own target road conditions.
AIA Chair Rick Green said: “A share of the additional £200million one-off payment, while welcome, is just not enough. It will do little to improve overall structural conditions and stem further decline.”
Nicholas Lyes, Head of Roads Policy at the RAC, added: “Council funding is now so inadequate that almost one-in-five roads have under five years’ structural life left. The gap between the money councils have and what they need is widening.”
