Pot hole repairs cost council £2.5m in past six years

Nicholas Thomas – local Democracy Reporter

Pothole repairs have cost a Welsh council more than £2.5 million in the past six years.

Between 2017 and 2022, some 3,611 potholes have been reported across the Newport, and the council has spent £2,586,313 on repairs in that same time.

The figures were published by the council in August 2023 in response to a Freedom of Information request.

The bulk of the £2.58m spent on repairs was on potholes reported by Newport’s own highways department, so would not have been included in the publicly-reported 3,611 incidents, the council said.

The figures published by Newport City Council also included compensation payouts for pothole damage.

Some 85 claims filed with the local authority since 2013 have resulted in compensation.

The council has paid out more than £26,612 in total to those claimants, working out at an average payout of £313.

Potholes and damaged pavements can be reported via the Newport City Council website.

How do Newport’s figures compare with others in the Gwent area?

Some councils did not hold the same information as Newport, but their Freedom of Information Act responses revealed their spending on pothole repairs has dwarfed that of the city.

The figures showed:

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council has received 6,471 pothole complaints since 2015, spending more than £7.4m on repairs.

The council has settled 14 compensation claims since 2013, paying out £2,638 (an average payout of £188).

Caerphilly County Borough Council has received 7,335 pothole complaints since 2013, spending nearly £6.5m on repairs.

The council has settled 82 compensation claims in that time, paying out £70,196 (an average payout of £856).

Monmouthshire County Council data was not available at the time of publication.

Torfaen County Borough Council received 6,634 pothole complaints between 2013 and 2022, spending more than £9.2m on general road repairs in that time.

The council has settled 26 compensation claims in that same timeframe, paying out £4,010 (an average payout of £154).