Peterborough City approves £2m for pothole prevention

Peterborough City Council has given the green light to a £7.6 million package of highway improvement works, which includes nearly £2 million specifically allocated to pothole prevention measures.

The funding, provided through two grants from the Department for Transport, will be distributed across five key projects. These will deliver enhancements to a broad range of infrastructure, including carriageways, footpaths, street lighting, bridges, cycleways, pavements and bus stops. The work will be carried out by the council’s long-standing highways partner, Milestone Infrastructure Limited.

According to Adrian Chapman, the council’s executive director for place and economy, Peterborough remains in a relatively strong position compared to many other areas in the UK when it comes to managing potholes. He acknowledged, however, that even a single pothole is one too many.

The council has been working closely with Milestone on testing and trialling new technologies designed to improve the effectiveness of pothole repairs. These include modern machinery and innovative techniques that aim to reduce disruption and create longer-lasting fixes.

At a recent cabinet meeting, Labour’s Mohammed Jamil, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, raised concerns over the appearance and durability of some previous repairs.

In response, Mr Chapman emphasised the importance of value for money and performance monitoring. He explained that the council actively tracks contractor performance across several areas, including financial accountability, to ensure that quality standards are met.

Where additional funding has been secured, and the council is not obligated to use Milestone, the authority is exploring the wider market to confirm that all work undertaken remains cost-effective.

Although figures for Peterborough were not disclosed, neighbouring Cambridgeshire has previously reported more than 2,000 unresolved road defects. Despite this, Peterborough was recently recognised as one of the top-performing highways authorities in the country, ranking third in the latest National Highways and Transport survey.