There are 100 times as many potholes on Britain's roads under the
Tories as there are craters on the moon, new analysis from Labour
reveals.
Meanwhile, the Tories' pothole backlog has risen to an
eye-watering £16.3 billion - a blackhole that would take a decade
to fix.
The new analysis lays bare the Tories' abject failure to maintain
Britain's roads. And it becomes despute Rishi Sunak telling
the public in 2021 to “enjoy #NationalPotholeDay before they're
all gone”. Three years later, the pothole backlog is at a record
high.
New figures also show that Labour councils are investing 83 per
cent more per head on structural maintenance of local roads,
including resurfacing and pothole repair.
Britain's local roads are in the worst condition they have ever
been in at least 28 years, according to the Annual Local
Authority Road Maintenance Survey.
Tory failure to deliver on their promises means the UK is now
near the bottom of the international league table for road
maintenance.
Angela Rayner MP, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for
Local Government, said:
“Rishi Sunak vowed to rid Britain of potholes, but he's living on
another planet.
“Under the Tories, Britain's roads look more like the surface of
the moon than the safe, secure roads that taxpayers left counting
the cost of damaged tyres expect.
“The Conservatives have taken a sledgehammer to local government,
and it is local people paying the price. After 14 years of Tory
neglect, councils up and down the country have been left
crumbling with the services communities rely upon left full of
holes.
“Labour will be on the side of drivers, and put local services
first, ending the Tories' sticking plaster approach by providing
integrated, multi-year funding settlements to local leaders,
giving them greater certainty to plan for the future.”
Ends
Notes
Sunak National Pothole Day tweet (Jan 2021): https://x.com/RishiSunak/status/1350144375813246976?s=20
There were one million potholes in 2023: https://www.vehiclecontracts.co.uk/blog/pothole-statistics/#:~:text=In%20the%20financial%20year%20of,UK%20roads%20as%20of%202023.
There are estimated to be 9,137 craters on the moon: https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+craters+on+the+moon&rlz=1C5GCCM_en&oq=how+many+craters+on+the+moon&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDIHCAEQABiABDIICAIQABgWGB4yCAgDEAAYFhgeMggIBBAAGBYYHjIICAUQABgWGB4yCAgGEAAYFhgeMg0IBxAAGIYDGIAEGIoFMg0ICBAAGIYDGIAEGIoFMg0ICRAAGIYDGIAEGIoF0gEINDk0MWowajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Data shows Labour taking potholes seriously with Labour councils
spending 83% more per head on structural maintenance of local
roads, including resurfacing and pothole repair. Data
from the LGA available on request.
The UK's funding to fix potholes has halved in just
over a decade, placing it near the bottom of the international
league table for road maintenance. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/12/uk-funds-potholes-road-maintenance-halved-since-2006/
It is estimated the one-time cost of repairing the pothole
backlog has risen to £16.3bn - https://www.asphaltuk.org/wp-content/uploads/ALARM-survey-report-2024-FINAL.pdf
Local authority highway departments estimate that it would take
10 years to get local roads back into a reasonable steady state,
if adequate funding and resources were in place - ALARM-survey-report-2024-FINAL.pdf
(asphaltuk.org)
Industry data suggests it costs on average £72 to fill a pothole
ALARM-survey-report-2024-FINAL.pdf (asphaltuk.org)
