'New ways' to tackle potholes being considered in Calderdale
Calderdale Council’s new Reform UK administration say they will be looking at new ways in which pothole filling might be more efficient and effective.
In a video posted on the authority’s social media, leader of the council, Coun Daniel Sutherland, said potholed roads were a “perennial issue” raised consistently with him and his team.
Coun Sutherland (Reform UK, Illingworth and Mixenden) said: “We are doing a deep dive into the existing methods used to fill potholes and also looking at new technologies that can be brought in to increase the speed, efficiency and quality of pothole filling.”
In February, following recommendations from the then ruling Labour group, the full council passed a budget for 2026-27 and some elements for several years ahead which included an extra £4m a year in each of the next three years for road repairs.
Investigating new technology was often urged by former Liberal Democrat group leader Paul Bellenger at council meetings, and late last year scrutiny councillors looked at the issue which has been vexing councillors.
Councillors heard then that in 2024-25, Calderdale Council filled an estimated 6,630 potholes, compared to 9,226 the previous year.
The more recent figures were more in line with 2022-23’s 6,495.
Officers said the numbers alone did not tell the whole story and there were some particular circumstances at play as well.
Councillors queried whether it was what was used to fill potholes that was an issue or purely a degradation of road surfaces.
Weather conditions played a part – for example winters which me more severe.
Sometimes a job would be logged as one which actually involved larger-scale patching, filling more holes at once, said council officers.