Average spend on pothole repairs
New research has named the local authorities in England which received the most additional budget per mile for repairing potholes.
A recent report revealed that the AA dealt with 630,000 pothole-related incidents in 2023, an increase of 16% from the previous year.
With this in mind, accident compensation experts at claims.co.uk analysed 2023 data from the Department for Transport to find the additional funding that was allocated to local authorities in England for pothole maintenance.
These figures were compared with the total length of road managed by each authority to determine which received the most additional money per mile for pothole maintenance.
According to the findings, Brighton and Hove received the most additional budget per mile for pothole maintenance at £1,547.46, which is 33% higher than the national average of £1,163.80.
Milton Keynes is the local authority in England that received the second-highest amount of additional funding per mile at £1,390.39 — 19% higher than the average in England.
Cheshire East ranks third and was allocated £1,383.34 per mile, which is 19% higher than the national average.
The 10 local authorities that received the most additional budget per mile for pothole maintenance
| Rank | Local authority | Additional budget per mile for pothole maintenance |
| 1. | Brighton and Hove | £1,547.46 |
| 2. | Milton Keynes | £1,390.39 |
| 3. | Cheshire East | £1,383.43 |
| 4. | Cumberland | £1,340.47 |
| 5. | Reading | £1,327.38 |
| 6. | Blackburn with Darwen | £1,318.14 |
| 7. | North Northamptonshire | £1,316.42 |
| 8. | Wiltshire | £1,313.61 |
| 9. | Hertfordshire | £1,301.20 |
| 10. | Oxfordshire | £1,290.43 |
At the other end of the scale, Blackpool received the lowest amount of additional budget per mile for pothole maintenance, at £961.44 per mile, which is 17% lower than the national average for England.
Stoke-on-Trent ranks second, receiving £981.24 per mile – 16% below the national average.
Newcastle received the third-lowest amount of additional funding per mile at £984.31, which is 15% lower than the England national average.
The 10 local authorities that received the least additional budget per mile for pothole maintenance
| Rank | Local authority | Additional budget per mile for pothole maintenance |
| 1. | Blackpool | £961.44 |
| 2. | Stoke-on-Trent | £981.24 |
| 3. | Newcastle upon Tyne | £984.31 |
| 4. | Plymouth | £984.73 |
| 5. | South Tyneside | £984.81 |
| 6. | Torbay | £992.03 |
| 7. | North Tyneside | £1,002.00 |
| 8. | Nottingham | £1,005.52 |
| 9. | Sunderland | £1,009.07 |
| 10. | Slough | £1,027.64 |
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for claims.co.uk says: “The analysis offers insight into the local authorities receiving the most additional money for pothole maintenance, highlighting the areas where road quality is likely to be of the most concern.
“It’s interesting to see that nearly half of the 10 local authorities that received the most additional budget per mile are in Southeast England, suggesting potholes are more problematic in this region.
“In comparison, nearly half of the ten local authorities that were allocated the least additional budget per mile are in the Northeast of England, suggesting potholes are less of an issue here.”
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