Road and pothole repairs

Request pothole reports received, repair times, and the current backlog.

Councils are responsible for maintaining public roads. The number of pothole reports and how quickly they are fixed tells you how well the roads service is performing in your area.

Dear [AUTHORITY NAME], Please provide the following information for [FINANCIAL YEAR e.g. 2024-25]: 1. The total number of pothole or road defect reports received. 2. The average time between a report being received and the repair being completed. 3. The number of reports still outstanding as at [DATE e.g. 31 March 2025]. 4. The total amount spent on pothole and road surface repairs. I would prefer to receive this by email. Yours faithfully, [YOUR NAME]
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Who to send it to#

Your local council’s roads department. Find your council on the Commissioner’s directory of Scottish public authorities. You can also send your request through WhatDoTheyKnow, which publishes responses online.

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Tips#

  • Ask for a specific financial year and a snapshot date for the backlog figure.
  • If the council classifies defects by severity (e.g. Category 1 emergency, Category 2 urgent), you can ask for the breakdown by category in a follow-up request.
  • Some councils publish road condition survey data separately. Check their website before making your request.