This is what Blackpool Council said over RAC's claim that NO potholes were fixed last year

The RAC has analysed new road maintenance data released by the Department of Transport and discovered that three council areas failed to preserve or resurface a single major or minor road in the financial year 2023-2024.

These three councils were Labour-run Blackpool Unitary Authority and Tameside council as well as the Tory-run London Borough of Bexley.

What has Blackpool Council said?

The council pointed out that the headline figures from RAC are slightly misleading as plenty of work was done on roads in Blackpool between 2023/2024 but the works were classed as reconstruction not resurfacing.

Reconstruction works involve deeper excavation of the roads and would be considered longer lasting repairs than the works being categorised as resurfacing.

In a statement, Cllr Paula Burdess, Blackpool Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Street Scene and Neighbourhoods, said: “Blackpool has over 300 miles of roads and we have an extensive maintenance plan in place to keep these in good working order for our residents. This includes both planned resurfacing and road reconstruction works, alongside reactive pothole repairs.

“Roads across the town are repaired based on a condition survey, which assesses the damage and priority of works required. Routine inspections are also carried out on the road network but residents can report any issues they encounter on our roads online on the council website.

“We’re committed to investing in Blackpool’s roads to create smoother journeys for road users and deliver a better Blackpool.”

What else did the RAC study show?

Nationally, just 3% of England’s 183,054-mile council-run road network received any form of road maintenance in the last 2023/24 financial year, according to RAC analysis of the new government data.

In total, 4,894 miles of all road types were strengthened, resurfaced or preserved in 2023/24, representing an 18% increase (750 miles) in maintenance work compared to the year before (2022/23) when 4,144 miles of roads were improved.

However, the situation is far bleaker now than in 2017/18 when 7,510 miles of roads were maintained – 2,616 more miles than in 2023/24 (4,894 miles), representing a 35% decline.

You can see RAC’s analysis here, within which is the link to the government data.

What has been said about their study?

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: "Only a slither of England’s total road network is getting any maintenance attention whatsoever. This reinforces our belief that most councils are in a cycle of merely filling potholes, rather than looking after their roads properly.

“The bigger picture is far more concerning because it still shows a significant decline in the proportion of our roads strengthened, resurfaced or preserved compared to six years ago.

“As the Government has just given councils a record amount of funding to look after their roads, we hope to see a significant improvement in the quality of road surfaces due to the extra maintenance they will be able to carry out in the next 12 months.

“We encourage local authorities to focus on permanent solutions rather than trying to patch pothole-ridden roads that are beyond saving. This might include resurfacing or alternatives such as recycling existing materials in-situ. Surface dressing roads in better condition is also important as it ensures they stay that way for longer.

“The longer important preservation work, such as surface dressing, is neglected, the more the pothole problem prevails. With a third of councils failing to carry out any such work, it’s no surprise that RAC pothole-related breakdowns jumped by a fifth in the final three months of 2024.***

“We strongly hope the next set of figures will show we’ve finally turned a corner towards smoother, safer, better roads.”

Local Government Association transport spokesman Adam Hug said: "Greater, long-term funding certainty for local highways authorities - with five-yearly funding allocations on a par with National Highways - is needed to tackle the multibillion-pound local roads backlog.

"This will enable councils to better monitor, plan for and invest in preventative treatments, which keep surfaces in better condition for longer and are cheaper than reactive repairs.

"The one-year boost to pothole funding confirmed earlier this month is good, and recognition that funding had been inadequate to keep roads maintained."

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "This Government is ending the pothole plague on Britain's roads.

"We are investing £1.6 billion to help local authorities resurface local roads and fix the equivalent of up to seven million extra potholes over the next financial year.

"With the average driver forking out nearly £500 to repair serious pothole damage, we know that fixing cratered roads is not just about pride in our communities, but the pound in people's pockets too.

"The public deserves to know how their councils are improving their local roads, which is why they will have to show progress or risk losing a quarter of our record funding boost."