Taking action on potholes

I know firsthand the frustration that potholes cause. Whether you are a cyclist, pedestrian, or motorist, the recent increase in potholes is impossible to miss. I want to reassure you that we are tackling this head-on.

Sutton maintains over 250 miles of roads, and due to the recent severe weather we are seeing new defects appear daily. Since the start of the year the number of repairs the Council has undertaken has more than tripled. In the first two months of the year the council has so far repaired over 500 potholes of which 77 were critical. 

Our inspection teams, alongside our contractors, head out everyday to review the condition of our highways, footpaths and cycle lanes, responding to reports and carrying out repairs. Because we cannot be on every street daily, resident reports are really important in helping us to combat the issue.  

Please help us by reporting any defects you see via the Council’s website. In your report please include (if it’s safe to do so) a picture of the pothole. This will help our teams continue to make sure the most severe potholes are fixed as quickly as possible.

In addition, we are trialing tougher, more environmentally sustainable materials to ensure the repairs we do make last longer. You can find more information in the recent report to the Environment and Sustainable Transport Committee. 

It is important to remember that Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) goes to the government rather than directly on local roads. The Council spends over £3.5 million, of which just £750k comes from the Department for Transport (DfT), maintaining the highways across Sutton, this includes resurfacing of roads, maintenance of bridges, bollards, benches and general repairs. £850k of this is spent on reactive pothole maintenance that we are experiencing at the moment. 

The DfT is set to give Council’s across the country more funding for road maintenance, but with the Local Government Association (LGA) reporting that Councils face a £17 billion backlog of road repairs* and as the UK experiences even more severe weather, we will continue to fight to ensure Sutton receives more funding to maintain its highways so that they are fit for the future.  

Thank you for your patience as we work to keep our borough’s roads safe and resilient.

Councillor Christopher Woolmer
Chair of the Environment and Sustainable Transport Committee

*https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/road-maintenance-funding-map-lga-statement