THE number of potholes in Wokingham borough is rising, according to new figures.
Residents reported a total of 947 potholes between April and August – the first few months of the 2023-24 financial year.
That’s almost three times the amount reported over the same period last year, and more than double for the year before that.
Cllr Paul Fishwick, executive member for active travel, transport and highways at Wokingham Borough Council, said road safety is a “number one priority” for the council – and that potholes and low government funding are a problem across the country.
He said: “We continually check the condition of our roads, using technical surveys and visual inspections by trained staff, as well as technical assessments and analysis.
“Potholes and inadequate funding from the government is a national problem, estimated by the annual ALARM survey to have reached £14billion for England and Wales in March 2023, and therefore low satisfaction scores are being given by the public nationally.”
The figures also show that the council repaired 1,104 potholes between April and August this year. But that’s less than the same period in 2021 – 1,457 – even though only 418 were reported then.
In fact, more potholes were reported in just one month this year – 433 in April – than in the first five months of 2021-22.
Councillor Fishwick said: “Sometimes, issues with the roads happen that we can’t plan for which need to be fixed.
“This could be a pothole appearing, or damage due to extreme weather events. Prolonged periods of wet weather together with cold periods can cause considerable damage to road surfaces.”
The figures were revealed in a presentation set to be made to councillors at a meeting of the Community and Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Monday, September 4.
Separately, a Wokingham Borough council survey found that more than 70% of residents didn’t agree that roads in the borough are adequately maintained.
Cllr Fishwick said that this matched the national average for residents’ satisfaction, based on a study of 111 councils by the National Highways and Transport Network. And he said the council ranked slightly better than the national average for satisfaction with the speed and quality of repairs.
“The council, like many of our residents and local businesses, are grappling with high inflation which leads to vastly increased costs, as well as growing needs among the community and a long history of inadequate funding from the Government,” he continued.
“The highways and transport public satisfaction survey shows that nationally the public wants better maintenance and members support this, but the government need to provide adequate funding levels.”
