Research by the Scottish Liberal Democrats found that Scottish councils have paid out more than £4million in pothole claims since 2019.
The dire state of Scotland's roads has been laid bare by the Scottish Liberal Democrats who revealed South Lanarkshire Council paid out a staggering £62,000 in pothole claims last year.
Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has today highlighted the pressures facing local authorities after research by his party found that councils have paid out more than £4 million in pothole claims since 2019.
The party sent a freedom of information request to all 32 local authorities asking for the total compensation paid out for pothole claims in every year since 2019/20.
Of those that responded, the party uncovered that £4,265,007.54 has been paid out over the past four years. In that period, the annual figures have increased from £676,932 in 2019/20 to £870,228.92 in 2023/24.
In 2023/24 alone, Dumfries & Galloway Council paid out a staggering £326,000 in pothole compensation, while Glasgow paid out almost £200,000. In the same year, Borders, Midlothian and South Lanarkshire all paid out more than £62,000.
The FOI request also asked for the longest time taken to repair a pothole. Figures showed that in 2023/24, Moray recorded the longest period of waiting (857 days) and Falkirk recorded the next longest (475 days).
Mr Rennie said: “Under this SNP government, potholes have become a plague on our roads; it’s a lose-lose situation for everyone involved.
“As well as causing property damage and personal injury for motorists, it also means that cash-strapped councils are having to shell out millions of pounds in payouts.
“For many years, the SNP have slashed funding for local authorities and left communities to muddle through. Despite payouts for potholes rising year on year, the SNP haven’t shown any sign of changing course and finally supporting councils.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats have set out plans to fix Scotland’s crumbling infrastructure, including cavernous potholes. That starts by better supporting local authorities and giving them the fair deal they deserve.”
In response, Council Leader Joe Fagan told us: "Around 80 per cent of local government’s revenue funding comes in the form of a grant from the Scottish Government and, once you strip out the government’s ring-fenced priorities, what is left for roads, pavements and other services like waste and grounds has all been cut dramatically.
"In South Lanarkshire, we have managed to sustain a level of roads spending that is higher than other local authorities but that’s getting harder as costs rise and core funding cuts have continued.
“These figures show that the levels South Lanarkshire is having to pay out in compensation are smaller than neighbouring councils like Glasgow and Dumfries and Galloway. That must reflect the spending choices the council has made.
"But let’s be clear, local services and local infrastructure across Scotland faces decline because local government hasn’t been fairly funded for many years. That’s got to change. I’ll be making the case for a fair share of public spending to come to South Lanarkshire ahead of the Scottish Budget in December.
“The Chancellor’s Budget delivered a record settlement for Scotland. A fair share of that settlement must come to councils so that we can invest in people’s priorities locally and rebuild our local services over the coming years.”
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