Gloucestershire tops list of councils with highest proportion of pothole claim refusals

Gloucestershire County Council tops the list for the highest proportion of pothole damage claims refused. RAC research found 20,432 claims were submitted to 18 local authorities with the largest road networks in 2023, compared with 8,327 in 2022.

The highest proportion of refusals among the local authorities included in the analysis was 98 per cent by Gloucestershire County Council. Richard Broadbent, a resident whose car was damaged by a pothole in the Cotswolds, said he is not surprised by RAC’s findings.

He spent a year pursuing a claim for pothole damage despite the council’s own records showing they were aware of the pothole but had failed to repair it.

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The council spent more than £2,000 on legal fees in an effort to avoid paying Mr Broadbent’s £189 claim, he said. "The RAC's findings come as no surprise, both in the soaring rate of claims that reflect the county's deteriorating roads, and the council's stubborn refusal to accept their fair share of liability,” Mr Broadbent said.

"I spent a year pursuing a claim for pothole damage, despite the council's own records clearly showing they were aware of the pothole, but had failed to repair it. After spending well over £2,000 of taxpayer's money on their legal fees in an effort to avoid paying my £189 claim, they finally gave up and settled my damages and court costs."

County Councillor Lisa Spivey (LD, South Cerney) also raised concerns over how the council deals with pothole damage claims. She referenced Mr Broadbent's case and questioned whether the council's "aggressive" way of dealing with pothole damage claims is the reason it is so successful in rejecting them.

A Gloucestershire County Council spokesperson say they do not have to use taxpayers funds to pay out on many of the claims they received. This is due to their “robust system of inspections and repairs”, they said.

“All claims are reviewed in accordance with national guidelines when they are assessed,” a spokesperson said. “We don't have to use taxpayers’ funds to pay out on many claims as we have a robust system of inspections and repairs in place.

“We are also trialling innovative methods to improve road conditions. A spray injection patching machine and Roadmender machine have speeded up pothole repairs, plus Find and Fix teams have repaired 22,326 smaller potholes ahead of schedule before they got worse.

“We have over 30 teams out on the network every working day, working to improve the condition of our roads and have repaired 35,911 potholes this year.

“Potholes can develop quickly on roads, particularly in winter, so it is not possible for councils to inspect every road or repair every pothole immediately. Every day we are inspecting roads and fixing any potholes that are a safety concern either the next working day for critical ones or within 28 days."

The council says its teams fix high priority safety issues within one working day and other safety defects within 28 days, in line with national standards. And they are getting on with our extensive road resurfacing programme , part of our additional £100 million investment into the county’s roads.

Anyone who spots an issue but hasn’t yet reported it, is asked to use the council’s Fix My Street service.