East Sussex County Council Among Slowest In The Country To Mend Potholes

East Sussex County Council has been shown to be among the slowest councils to repair potholes. Figures show that along with lengthy average waits, East Sussex is one of five local authorities in the country to leave at least one pothole unrepaired for more than twelve months.

Cllr James MacCleary, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate says: “Liberal Democrat councillors have regularly raised the state of the roads at East Sussex County Council. Our roads have become an obstacle course and are dangerous not just for motorists but for those riding pushbikes and motorbikes.

"Hard-working tax payers are seeing their council tax bills increasing in a desperate attempt by local authorities to plug the financial gap left by over 12 years of Conservative austerity plans which have seen around £138 million taken out of the County Council’s budget.

"The government’s short term funding fixes are about as effective as the temporary repairs to our potholes. They are washed away by the spending crisis within months with no long term vision or proper financial planning. It’s time to put an end to this attack on local services and to give our local residents what they need and what they expect from their government."

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The government has reduced local authorities’ highways maintenance budgets by £500m since 2020, even though the government put an extra £200m into tackling potholes in last month’s budget. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the government’s potholes fund – which previously provided £500m a year to councils – will be increased to £700m in the 2023-24 financial year.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding welcomed the extra money but said at the time it would be “thinly spread” over England’s 190,000 miles of road. The cost of bringing pothole-plagued local roads in England and Wales up to scratch has been estimated at £12.6bn.