Councillor says 'we look stupid' over potholes

There are currently 11,000 pothole repair jobs in Lancashire County Council's “work in progress” pile

County councillors are demanding more of a say over pothole repairs in their local areas.

A Lancashire County Council meeting heard one councillor complain they were being made to look “stupid” in front of residents because of their inability to influence which roads are prioritised for work.

There are currently 11,000 repair jobs in County Hall’s “work in progress” pile.

Head of service for highways John Davies said the responsive nature of the work made it “very difficult” for county councillors to be involved.

Highways group manager Kirstie Williams said the county council was dealing with an “unprecedented” number of potholes.

At the current rate of increase, there will be almost 105,000 reported road defects in the authority’s patch by next year.

A highways inspector in one of the most under-pressure areas – Fylde and Wyre – could have to carry out up to 70 site visits a day.

There are currently 11,000 repair jobs in County Hall’s “work in progress” pile.

'We look stupid'

A report presented to the committee stated that wet weather had “significantly contributed” to the problem.

Lancashire county councillors said it was time to give them more direct involvement so that they could reflect the public’s priorities.

Committee chair Rob Bailey told highways bosses that councillors wanted to be able to initiate repairs in areas that were “crying out” for action.

“We look stupid, as elected members, asking for roads to be [repaired] – and we can’t get anything done,” County Cllr Bailey said.

St Annes South representative Steve Rigby added that there needed to be “true” input from county councillors.

But due to the responsive nature of the repair work, head of service for highways John Davies said it made it “very difficult” for county councillors to be involved at that level.

He said the department did “engage with members as much as we possibly can” over broader issues.

The Local Deterioration Fund (LDF) is a discretionary pot of road repair funding, within the county council’s annual budget.

The committee resolved to ask the highways department for clarification about the workings of the LDF, “with a view to enhanced member engagement in that process”. 

It also sought a review of the inspection process undertaken in response to the reporting of individual potholes to assess whether they were suitable for repair.