Time to target the pothole menace

Councils have a hugely demanding role, not least supporting the most vulnerable in society.

But much of the time the ordinary taxpayer, if there is such a person, will judge them on the basics – collecting the bins on time and ensuring the roads are in a decent state.

Today we learn that Dundee is among the most potholeridden parts of the country, according to a snapshot of the road network carried out in November.

The situation is improving, council chiefs insist, reporting that numbers of the surfacing failures have been reduced by two-thirds in the last four years.

That will be of little comfort to the hard-up commuter clobbered by another expensive garage bill, or the cyclist risking life and limb to swerve the tarmac craters.

Cash will be tight again in 2019-20 for local authorities, with a double whammy of spending reductions and tax increases likely.

Some of the biggest spending areas require protection, such as social care and education, meaning budgets like roads maintenance will increasingly come into the cross hairs.

In last week’s Budget, Finance Secretary Derek Mackay issued councils with another licence to raise council tax by up to 3%. Hitting a pothole is even more uncomfortable when you have just received a letter from the town hall forewarning of fresh tax hikes.