Plaid Cymru Councillor demands ‘swift action’ from council to tackle the ‘Pothole Crisis’

Ella Groves

A Plaid Cymru councillor has demanded swift action from a council to manage the ‘pothole crisis’ that is ‘plaguing’ the area.

Councillor Steve Skivens, Penyrheol, called on Caerphilly County Borough Council today to “do better” and tackle the pothole crisis head on.

A Freedom of Information request revealed that 56 pothole repairs had been carried in Councillor Skivens’ ward on just one stretch of road – Groeswen Road –  in less than two years at a cost of more than £9,o00.

Mair Arthur, landlady at the White Cross Inn in Groeswen, explained the impact of the potholes on her business: “I have complained frequently to Caerphilly Council as the road deterioration has impacted on my business.

“Taxi firms have stopped calling to my pub in the village due to damage to their vehicles.

“Council repaired potholes on January 9. It is now February and they are back – washed-out repairs with some 5.5 inches deep holes reappearing.

“It’s a complete waste of time and money while my business, the chapel and our village are becoming inaccessible.”

Councillor Steve Skivens said: “Nearly everyone that contacts me has a story about potholes and it’s getting worse. The people of Groeswen are suffering and they are far from the only ones.

“But what’s going wrong, why is it so bad these days, why is so much of taxpayer’s money falling into holes in the road?

“Some people have blamed climate change and weather patterns. Others say poor workmanship and methods and traffic volumes are to blame.

“But what is clear is that our roads are wearing out. We don’t need short-term measures, we must spend more on resurfacing. But in 2023-24 the budget for resurfacing was cut from £3.4m to £1.1m and in the last financial year cut further to £739,000. Surprise, surprise the roads deteriorate significantly.

“Although the budget has been boosted in 2025-26, everyone is paying the price for the shorter term attitude and spending cuts of this Labour council.

“There’s also the issue of the standard of work on roads and pavements carried out by statutory undertakers. I revealed last year that a total 106 complaints were raised against companies over defects covering a two year period which had to be repaired – 62 of them involving Dwr Cymru, Welsh Water.

Councillor Skivens concluded: “It is time the Labour controlled council and particularly the highways department took swift action on the potholes menace. They must do better when we are all in difficult financial times.”

A Caerphilly Council spokesman said: “At this time of year, councils across the UK face significant problems with potholes as we exit the cold winter months. Over the winter, freezing temperatures cause ice to expand within the road surface, leading to an increased number of potholes.

“The council has a legal duty to maintain the highway and we have a priority system in place which categorises potholes. The most serious defects are addressed within 2 to 24 hours depending on the severity, whereas other less serious ones may be addressed within 42 days

“In total, we look after 1,200 km of highway infrastructure and last year we spent over £8.35million maintaining our road network. In the past 2 years alone we resurfaced over 400,000 square meters of road surface and repaired in excess of 8,000 potholes.

“This work continues at pace and we would urge residents to bear with us as our workforce tackle the current pothole problems across the area.”