The way to get the potholes properly fixed is to get a government that is prepared to support local authorities with the funding needed to fix this vital local infrastructure.  We need a change of national government if we really want to get the potholes fixed.

We recognise the problem with potholes.  We want better roads as much as you do. 

There are two basic issues.  One is that Herefordshire, because it is large and rural and sparsely populated, has more miles of road per person than most other places in the UK.  And the second basic problem is that central government has starved councils of funding.  For example, Herefordshire’s Revenue Support Grant from central government has declined from £60 million per year in 2010 to £0.06 million now.

The majority of our core budget is spent on social care - for the most vulnerable in our society. Only relatively small amounts are available for the core public services - potholes, bins etc - that we all rely on.  We are as frustrated about this as you are.

What we are doing is making sure that the limited funding available is spent as efficiently and effectively as possible.  We’ve reviewed the Balfour Beatty contract to ensure it delivers better value for money.  We’ve improved systems for reporting and inspecting potholes. And we’ve put millions into preventing potholes forming in the first place, by addressing long-standing drainage problems.

The way to get the potholes properly fixed is to get a government that is prepared to support local authorities with the funding needed to fix this vital local infrastructure. 
We need a change of government nationally if we really want to get the potholes fixed.