The leader of Plaid Cymru on Caerphilly County Borough Council has called for the Labour-run authority to boost spending on road maintenance, after a Freedom of Information request by the party revealed 813 potholes required filling across the borough on July 1.
Cllr Colin Mann said: “The Labour council should be increasing funding on highways maintenance, as the former Plaid Cymru administration did, not cutting it.
“When people pay their council tax they are entitled to expect a decent level of public services, such as roads. We left office in 2012 and then the roads were in a good condition. How things have changed.
“These figures show the deterioration under Labour and why people in Caerphilly need a change in administration.”
The FOI submitted by Plaid Cymru also found that the average waiting time for pothole repair was 31 days, though the most urgent were filled within two hours.
In June, Plaid Cymru claimed highway maintenance was being reduced from £7,910,771 in 2016/16 to £7,630,536 in 2016/17, with more cuts planned through to 2021.
Cllr Rob Gough, Plaid Cymru spokesperson on highways, said: “The cuts in the general highway maintenance budget through to 2021 will inevitably mean that there will be more potholes and it will take longer for them to be repaired.
“Cutting the budget is a false economy as the council is increasing the risk to residents and other road users of vehicles sustaining damage to wheels, tyres and suspension units resulting in more claims for compensation against the council.”
In response, the council pointed to recent road resurfacing works across the borough which total more than £2.35 million.
A council spokesperson said: “Caerphilly’s highways network has benefitted from resurfacing works totalling more than £2.3 million over the past few months. Thirty-four separate sites have benefitted to date, with roads resurfaced using an innovative technique called CAUTS (cold applied ultra-thin surfacing).
“A further 49 sites are programmed for the coming months.”
Cabinet Member Cllr Tom Williams added: “I’m sure this investment will be welcomed by motorists across the area as it has led to a noticeable improvement to our highways network.
“We are also pleased to be employing new technology to carry out the work in a more efficient and effective manner. The CAUTS system will significantly reduce the amount of loose chippings that are left on the road following this type of work.”