Questions raised over £7m spent on road repair contractors

Kieran Molloy, Local Democracy Reporter

A Welsh council has come under fire for the amount of money it spends on external contractors for road repairs.

Between 2022 and 2025, Vale of Glamorgan Council spent more than £7m on external contracts for road maintenance and repairs, a freedom of information request has found.

The high point of this was in 2024, when the local authority spent £2,257,390 on these contracts.

Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Conservatives group leader, Cllr George Carroll said it was questionable whether relying on contractors provides better value for money.

A Plaid Cymru councillor, Cllr Chris Franks said the council has “failed to properly maintain the road network” for years.

The full breakdown of the amount spent on external contractors in each year is as follows:

• 2022 – £1,686,441
• 2023 – £2,011,835
• 2024 – £2,257,390
• 2025 – £1,662,877

On these figures and the general state of the roads in the Vale of Glamorgan, Cllr Carroll said: “It’s clear far more resources are required to maintain and repair roads across the Vale of Glamorgan.

“It remains highly questionable whether relying on contractors provides better value for money than taking the service in house, and a full cost-benefit analysis is required.

“The council must also explore opportunities to invest in new equipment and technologies to make road maintenance more effective and efficient.”

Plaid Cymru councillor Christopher Franks said: “For years the Vale has failed to properly maintain the road network. Last year the state of the highways was dreadful.

“The budget ran out mid autumn and schemes were cancelled days before contractors were due to start work.

“Apparently the Labour cabinet was unaware of the situation until Plaid informed them. Residents had been informed of the planned work then nothing.

“It is always difficult to work out exactly how much is available. It’s all very unclear.”

The FOI request also revealed that the council paid out £24,473 in pot-hole related compensation in 2021/22, although this number shrank to £1,987 in 2024/25 – the most recent figure.

A Vale of Glamorgan Council spokesperson said: “The council maintains more than 1,000km of adopted highway and, like all UK Local Authorities, deals with potholes across a large network of roads.

“We are investing more than ever in repairs to keep our roads safe. That involves working with our contractor Centregreat Ltd and using specialist equipment such as the JCB Pothole Pro machine, to fix defects quickly and efficiently.

“We have also trialled a new sustainable repair technique called Elastomac to mend damaged roads.

“That converts old tyres into an innovative road repair material which can lower the carbon footprint of patch repairs by 85 per cent.

“It can be used to mend a variety of surfaces including roads, car parks, bridges and other critical infrastructure across the Vale of Glamorgan.

“Every pothole report we receive is read, recorded and inspected, and reports do lead to action where defects meet criteria.

“Not all potholes are repaired immediately, as repairs are prioritised by depth, however no report is ever ignored.

“Our highways inspectors carry out regular inspections, and with such a large network, public reports are vital in helping us to target specific issues across our communities.

“Fixing potholes is more challenging than ever because of changes in weather, heavier vehicles, denser populations, increased demand and tighter budgets.

“But the council is determined to meet that challenge through innovation as we work with partners to implement new technologies. That will help keep our roads safe as the needs of residents, communities and the response to climate change continues to evolve.”

The spokesperson said the council has “seen record numbers of reports”, but it has “delivered record repairs”, including almost 2,000 in May this year.