Leeds roads face £300m repair backlog as councillor calls for 'pothole blitz'
A “pothole blitz” is needed to tackle the state of the roads as the city faces a repairs backlog, a senior councillor has said.
Alan Lamb, who leads the Leeds Conservative group, said fixing the highways would cost £300,000 and take years at the current rate.
He said the roads were deteriorating, even after government funding had increased.
Coun Lamb, who represents Wetherby, will raise his concerns in a motion to a full council meeting at Leeds Civic Hall on Wednesday (March 25).
The motion said: “Leeds’ own published figures show a highways maintenance backlog estimated at around £300m, meaning that at the current rate it could take nearly twenty years to address.
“Residents across Leeds consistently raise concerns about the condition of roads and the repeated cycle of temporary pothole repairs that fail after a short period.”
Leeds City Council has said it is tackling the problem with extra investment and was testing out new pothole-fixing technology.
Pothole reports had risen after persistent rain during January and February damaged the roads.
Coun Lamb’s motion calls for more funding and a greater emphasis on permanent repairs in instead of temporary fixes.
It said there should be “a citywide ‘pothole blitz’ programme using specialist rapid repair equipment to accelerate repairs across Leeds.”
The motion said: “The first responsibility of any council is to get the basics right.”