Pothole claims fall after £3.6m hike in RBC repairs funds
COMPLAINTS about potholes across the borough have plummeted over the last 12 months as repair funding increased by £3.6m, new figures reveal.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has published data from its annual survey, which also showed how much money councils spent to fill in holes and repair surfaces, and what they paid out in claims.
The study revealed general complaints to Rochdale council have tumbled by more than 75pc from 4,568 in 2017/18 to 1,072 in 2018/19.
The number of legal claims has also fallen,
from 178 to 152.
However, despite the number of claims paid out for vehicle damage caused by potholes falling from 29 to 23, the council were forced to cough up £8,504.05 - up from £6,890 a year earlier.
FSB data shows Rochdale council has increased its spending on road repairs from £2.8m to £6.4m over the same period - the second highest in Greater Manchester.
Coun Neil Emmott, cabinet member for environment, said their extra investment is ‘clearly having an impact’.
He said: “We’ve ploughed an additional £12m into highway repairs because we know the state of our roads is a top priority for our residents. The substantial reduction in the number of complaints, which were less than a quarter in 2018/19 than they were in 2017/18, coupled with the reduction in claims made shows that this additional investment is clearing having an impact.
“By summer 2021, this £12m investment, which is in addition to our annual £1.2m road repair budget, will have helped us repair over 900 roads across the borough.”
The most complained about potholed roads in Rochdale were in the M24 area, covering Middleton and parts of Rochdale, Royton and Chadderton.
Resurfacing work is currently being carried out on 100 of the borough’s roads, including Roch Valley Way, Oldham Road and Kingsway.