Cost of fixing potholes soars since Ukraine invasion & problem likely to deepen

THE cost of fixing potholes has drastically risen with a shortage of material caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

While councils were already faced with a significant backlog in road repairs, the latest estimates say it would take them 10 years and £12billion to bring all surfaces up to scratch.

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The cross-party Local Government Association (LGA) has discovered many councils in England and Wales have been hit by a 22 per cent rise in the cost of road maintenance since war in Ukraine erupted.

Before Russian leader Vladimir Putin sent his troops across the border in February around 60 per cent of bitumen – used to repair Britain’s roads – came from Russia.

Councils have to now ration bitumen and source it from other markets, which have pushed up costs and caused delays to essential road repairs.

Soaring energy costs and inflation has also meant there has been a rise of 38 per cent in the bill for running and repairing street lights in just six months.

Some authorities have reported their costs in these areas have doubled, the LGA said.

The LGA’s transport spokesperson David Renard said global pressures had created a “perfect storm” for councils who were already facing stretched budgets.

He said: “As this stark new analysis shows, councils across the country are facing unprecedented increased costs to repair our local roads, keep our street lights switched on and invest in improved local infrastructure.

“Global pressures, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as increasing inflation and a shortage of materials, have all provided the perfect storm for councils and piled pressure on already stretched local budgets.”

He called for whoever took over No10 from Boris Johnson, with the new Conservative leader being announced next week, to cover the increased costs for councils or risk having road conditions get worse and services being reduced.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said the adoption of a new long-term solution was required “that doesn’t risk road spending being perennially crowded out by authorities’ social care responsibilities”.

He said: “Patching potholes might pale into insignificance as a problem when compared to the devastation and human misery caused by President Putin’s actions, but the funding squeeze on local spending will soon start to feel more real if authorities are going to struggle just to keep the street lights on.”

The LGA also revealed that councils’ capital budgets, which support the building of new roads and other local infrastructure, have risen by an estimated 21 per cent, pushing up the cost of delivering investment.

The analysis was based on a survey of LGA members and current prices.

Analysis published in June by the LGA showed that councils face £3.6bn of unforeseen extra cost pressures to their budgets in 2024/2025 caused by rising energy prices, spiralling inflation and living wage pressures.

It said the impact of inflation on local services would be “disastrous” without adequate long-term funding as well as more powers for councils to make local decisions.

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