Pothole firm that 'let roads crumble' is kept on

Councillor Lisa Spivey has criticised a contract renewal worth £100m

The £100m extension of a contract to fix a county's potholes has been described as a present that no residents want.

Gloucestershire County Council's opposition leader Lisa Spivey said highway maintenance firm Ringway had "allowed our roads to crumble".

The extension means that Ringway's contract will now run to 2030, rather than 2026, subject to performance-related targets.

Jason Humm, the council's director of transport and highways, said it was delighted to continue working with Ringway, while the company said it looked forward to "maintaining a sustainable" service.

Liberal Democrat Ms Spivey said Gloucestershire residents "don't believe that our roads have got better" since Ringway took over the highways contract in 2019.

She said Conservative councillors had given locals a "present no one wants", namely a "multi-million pound contract to the company who have worked with our tired Conservative administration to allow our roads to crumble".

Gloucestershire County Council has extended its highways partnership with the company Ringway

However, council bosses said that the contract includes a commitment to continue enhancements and innovations to boost efficiency, performance and cost-effectiveness, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A year ago, the council launched the online service Fix My Street, for residents to report issues, ranging from pavements and potholes to street lights and blocked drains.

More than 35,000 reports have so far been submitted and since April 2024, 40,506 potholes have been repaired.

"With Fix My Street and investment in proactive pothole repairs and drain clearing, we're seeing improvements in operations that are creating better journeys for Gloucestershire and helping to tackle the worst that the weather can throw at us," Mr Humm said.

'Years of hard work'

Stephan Fifield, deputy county council leader, added that the Conservative administration had improved the county's roads.

"With our £100m investment through our Highways Transformation Programme and the nationally acclaimed 'Battle of the Pothole Repair Machines', we're seeing real improvements," he added.

Nick Goddard, a regional director at Ringway, said that the company was delighted the council has decided to extend their "highly successful" relationship.

"This award is testament to many years of hard work and collaboration, which we aim to continue for the benefit of the highway users and communities of Gloucestershire," he said.