Shropshire Council has decided to use around £130,000 of taxpayers’ cash to pay £1,000 a day for a ‘pothole consultant’.
The consultant will provide their advice on how to make crucial improvements based on their experience of running very successful highways operations elsewhere. A pothole is considered unsafe when it has a depth of more than 22mm on a pavement, or 40mm on a road.
Mark Morrell, the former mayor of Brackley advised that councils were increasingly turning to expensive consultants because many had axed their own in-house maintenance teams to save money.
Shropshire Council made a ten-year, £210million deal with Kier Group in 2018 to take charge of highway maintenance. Since then Kier have advised that 65,000 defects have been fixed.
But it comes as the council aims to make savings of more than £20million over the next year.
A Recruitment Consultant made comments on the proposed decision:
“Why not spend that money on actually fixing the potholes and ensuring the contractors you already have are doing their job properly?”
What is a pothole?
A pothole is when cracking and chipping occurs on a road or pavement. When water gets into these holes, especially in wintery weather, they begin to freeze and thaw. These holes then develop into potholes.
Who is Responsible for the Pothole?
Section 58 of the Highways Act 1980 provides that of the local councils’ or authorities’ highways departments are generally responsible for the maintenance of pavements and highways with the money they receive from the Government. If you have tripped on or fallen down a pothole due to the council’s negligence and failure to fix the defect, you may be able to claim compensation.
If the pothole is on a private road, or a road that is not taken care of by the Local Authority, the road owner will be responsible for the maintenance of their roads.
Claims
It’s claimed Britain has a pothole for every mile of road. Potholes and damaged road surfaces are particularly dangerous to cyclists and especially with the recent wet weather – it is important to stay alert and road users in general to reduce their speed.
Whether you’re a pedestrian, cyclist or motor vehicle driver. If you have sustained an injury due to a pothole or damaged road surface, you may be entitled to make a claim.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
If you have had an accident caused by potholes, get in touch today for a free initial consultation. Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page, or call us on 0113 200 9787 to find out how we can help you.
Making a Personal Injury Claim
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If you have a non-fault car accident and is damaged, there’s a chance that buyers will be put off when you try to sell. Diminution - Loss in Car Value.
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Psychological Injuries
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