Sandwell Council celebrates public satisfaction around road maintenance

Residents of Sandwell in the West Midlands have been found to be twice as satisfied as the average person when it comes to the quality of their local roads.

Research by MEL found the percentage of residents satisfied with road maintenance in Sandwell is more than double the local government benchmark, while the National Highways and Transportation survey put Sandwell in the top three local authorities nationally for the way it deals with potholes, and in the top 10 nationally for seven highway maintenance categories.

Sandwell Council says it considers prevention is better than cure and works hard to prevent potholes from forming in its road network, with its highway maintenance programmes targeted at preventing water penetrating the road surface, to help prevent potholes.

Sandwell says it uses best practice techniques to identify when to intervene to stop minor defects, such as surface cracks in the road from escalating into more significant ones such as potholes. This approach extends the life of roads, is less expensive in the long term, saving taxpayers’ money, and leads to less congestion and improved health benefits. Typically, 90% of highway maintenance spend in Sandwell goes on preventing defects becoming serious issues. This also ensures that, given the length of the road network in Sandwell, the council has to repair relatively few potholes.

The council has also invested in innovative machinery, such as the Multihog (pictured). It says this is an example of how Sandwell is looking to prepare the road surface for repairs much more quickly, reducing the need for temporary repairs to fix a pothole or road defect and ensuring more potholes are fixed ‘right first time’.

Councillor Keith Allcock, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Highways, said: “In Sandwell we’re determined to get things done on the issues that matter to our residents.

“That’s why we’re proud of our performance in maintaining our roads and preventing and repairing potholes, and we will continue to prioritise this work.

“We’re responsible for maintaining nearly 550 miles of carriageway across our six towns. So, while we can’t stop them all, we are winning the battle with potholes.

“In 2024 we filled 1,590 potholes, compared with 1,574 filled in 2023, which is a relatively small number, given the length of our road network.”

Councillor Allcock added: “We’re working hard to prevent potholes forming in the first place and filling them quickly when they do appear. We’ll continue to invest in our highways and machinery like the Multihog that saves time and money.

“Good, well-maintained roads and pavements are a priority for our residents. They are important for people’s safety, for their health by encouraging cycling and walking, and for connecting residents to jobs, education and local services.”

(Picture -Sandwell Council)

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Print

Related Stories

HIGHWAYS... DAILY

All the latest highways news direct to your inbox every week day

Subscribe now