● Local authorities make rules● Calls for a UK-wide standard
Tom Jervis Tom_Jervis@autovia.co.uk@thomaswjervis
OFFICIAL
COUNCILS in the UK cannot seem to decide when a pothole needs repairing, with almost a third refusing to publish their criteria online. That’s according to Channel 4’s latest Dispatches documentary, which uncovered a huge disparity in how local authorities judge pothole severity and what metrics must be fulfilled in order to trigger a repair.
Of the 206 councils that hold jurisdiction over their roads, roughly a third (35 per cent) said they will only fix a pothole if it reaches a certain width or depth. However, these parameters differ from council to council; while most councils (54) state a minimum depth of 4cm, some – such as Nottingham, Thurrock and Warwickshire – say a pothole must be 5cm deep before they consider filling it. In some cases, such as in Buckinghamshire, Stockport and Devon, a pothole must be 30cm wide – roughly the size of an A4 sheet of paper – and 4cm deep before they decide to act.
At the other end of the scale, 29 per cent of councils don’t publish their parameters at all, while 37 per cent say they take a risk-based approach, although this also means it’s unclear what constitutes a pothole that’s serious enough to require fixing.
These findings have prompted the RAC to speak out, with spokesperson Rod Dennis stating, “There’s an urgent need for Whitehall to provide fresh guidance to councils to bring about consistency when it comes to prioritis
