Named and shamed: The worst councils for pothole repairs... and Labour are bottom of the pile
A map launched by the Government to name and shame local authorities which are failing to fix potholes has revealed that Labour-run councils are the worst offenders.
The new traffic light rating system grades town halls on road conditions as well as how effectively they are spending maintenance funding.
Embarrassingly, it ranks Labour-run Greenwich Council – home to the Prime Minister’s closest parliamentary aide Abena Oppong-Asare and local government minister Matthew Pennycook – as one of the worst for pothole repairs.
Other Labour councils such as Waltham Forest, Bolton and Cumberland are also in the most serious ‘red’ for repairs category – while Tory-controlled Essex and
Hillingdon as well as Reform-run Worcestershire are all given a top green rating by ministers.
It comes only days after a single pothole burst the tyres of at least 14 cars on a slip-road off the M3 in Hampshire, leading to a major traffic snarl-up.
New red, amber and green ratings let the public see which local highway authorities are fixing potholes effectively
A lane was shut on the A303, which joins the motorway near Popham, on Thursday evening as emergency repairs were carried out to patch up the pothole, with damaged vehicles stranded on the hard shoulder.
The map is especially awkward for Labour given the crunch local elections in May, anticipated to be a flashpoint for a leadership challenge to Keir Starmer.
Pollsters predict a rout of Labour councils, and this latest own goal is a further setback for what is regarded as the most unpopular government in history.
Pictured: The best and worst councils for pot holes
Tory transport spokesman Richard Holden MP said: ‘It is refreshing to have Labour ministers laying bare just how badly Labour-run councils handle basic road repairs.
‘If you live in Bolton, Waltham Forest, Greenwich or any other Labour council up for election, this map is a warning label.’
Councils can spend money earmarked for roadworks on whatever they want, as funding is not ring fenced. The traffic light system aims to incentivise them to actually spend the £7.3billion they have been given for repairs on the ‘pothole plague’ blighting Britain.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: ‘For too long drivers have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate.’
AA president Edmund King welcomed the ‘initiative to hold local highways authorities to account’.
The Mail on Sunday understands ministers are weighing up incentives for councils, such as delaying funds until repair targets are met.
The map, launched by the Government to name and shame local authorities which are failing to fix potholes, has revealed that Labour-run councils are actually the worst offenders
The pot hole map is especially awkward for Labour given the crunch local elections in May, anticipated to be a flashpoint for a leadership challenge to Keir Starmer
