Disclosure Log

State Of County Roads (FOI/7454)

Message from Nottinghamshire County Council - 07 April 2026



Dear Requester,

Request FOI/7454

Further to your request received on 7th March 2026, I confirm that the Council has now considered your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Questions & Answers)
 
  1. How many potholes have been reported per year over the last 5 years including 2026 to date.
 
 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2021190123381857628938559314267193246253503
202211181800225180962236426227521739311331421
2023494112002941197618327649061050695113014483634
2024494848254167274115499918626065088737391548
2025251624732036105176276577158374281618114385
20261051213163TBC         
 
  1. How many claims have been submitted per year over the last 5 years including 2026 to date. Please refer to the table below.
 
  1. How many of these claims were successful per year over the last 5 years including 2026 to date. Please refer to the table below.
 
  1. What is the average cost of each claim to the council per year over the last 5 years including 2026 to date.  Please refer to the table below.
 
  1. What is the total cost of all claims to the council per year over the last 5 years including 2026 to date. Please refer to the table below.
 
  1. What is the highest single claim cost including any legal fees to settle a claim per year over the last 5 years. Please refer to the table below.
 
(Q2 – Q6) Number of Claims ReceivedNumber of Successful ClaimsAverage Cost of ClaimsTotal Cost of ClaimsHighest value claim
2021659404,188.81167,552.5255,781.00
2022795252,957.2473,931.1124,571.02
20231602120998.48119,817.4614,613.00
20241719445615.51273,902.2964,337.26
202560124250.026,000.431,089.93
2026 to 11 March 202610861352.64352.64352.64
 
Data for pothole claims includes injury and vehicle damage. Costs data includes legal fees.
 
  1. What was the budget verses how much was spent repairing potholes per year over the last 5 years including 2026 to date.
 2025/26 TreatmentBudget (£)Spent (£)
HIP001.25.26Carriageways - restorative treatments resurfacing, machine lay patching, hotbox and roadmaster23,455,000.00As budget
HIP003.25.26Carriageways - reactive CAT1 safety, CAT2 and CAT3 hotbox5,500,000As budget
HIP008.25.26Carriageways - restorative treatments resurfacing, machine lay patching, hotbox and roadmaster1,000,000As budget
SM004.25.26Jet Patcher Costs180,000As budget
N/ARevenue patching funded from monthly payment to Via for provision of Highway Services.N/AN/A
 
 2024/25 TreatmentBudget (£)Spent (£)
HIP002.24.25A, B, C & Unclassified Roads – Capital Maintenance County Wide6,869,000As budget
HIP011.24.25Network Structural Patching - Capital Maintenance County Wide7,300,000As budget
HIP014.24.25Additional Funding for Network Structural Patching - Capital Maintenance County Wide2,095,000As budget
HIP017.23.24.Winter Readiness3,600,000As budget
SM007.24.25Jet Patcher Costs£360,000As budget
SM033.24.25Repairs funding£700,000.00As budget
N/ARevenue patching funded from monthly payment to Via for provision of Highway Services.N/AN/A
 
 2023/24 TreatmentBudget (£)Spent (£)
HIP002.23.24A Roads PRN - Capital Maintenance Countywide£900,000As budget
HIP003.23.24B/C Roads - Capital Maintenance Countywide£1,600,000As budget
HIP004.23.24Unclassified Roads - Capital Maintenance Countywide£2,000,000As budget
HIP011.23.24Network Structural Patching - Capital Maintenance Countywide£7,300,000As budget
HIP014.23.24Additional Funding Network Structural Patching£3,000,000As budget
SM001.23.24Additional RMR Allocation£3,312,000.00As budget
SM007.23.24Jet Patcher Costs£360,000.00As budget
SM048.23.24Additional Patching Support£750,000.00As budget
N/ARevenue patching funded from monthly payment to Via for provision of Highway Services.N/AN/A
 
 2022/23 TreatmentBudget (£)Spent (£)
HIP 22/23.02A Roads PRN - Capital Maintenance Countywide800,000.00As budget
HIP 22/23.03B/C Roads - Capital Maintenance Countywide1,700,000.00As budget
HIP 22/23.04Unclassified Roads - Capital Maintenance Countywide2,000,000.00As budget
HIP 22/23.12Network Structural Patching - Capital Maintenance Countywide6,000,000.00As budget
HIP 22/23.15Additional Funding Network Structural Patching3,000,000.00As budget
SM14.22-23Jet Patcher Costs360,000As budget
N/ARevenue patching funded from monthly payment to Via for provision of Highway Services.N/AN/A
 
 2021/22 TreatmentBudget (£)Spent (£)
HIP 21/22.02A Roads PRN - Capital Maintenance Countywide850,000.00As budget
HIP 21/22.03B/C Roads - Capital Maintenance Countywide2,300,000.00As budget
HIP 21/22.04Unclassified Roads - Capital Maintenance Countywide2,207,000.00As budget
HIP 21/22.12Network Structural Patching - Capital Maintenance Countywide2,700,000.00As budget
HIP 21/22.15County Capital Maintenance Additional Funding3,823,000.00
 
As budget
SM31.21.22Jet Patcher Costs£180,404.00As budget
SM46.21.22Structural Patching - Additional Funding (Separate PO)£1,000,000.00As budget
N/ARevenue patching funded from monthly payment to Via for provision of Highway Services.N/AN/A
* All the ‘Spent’ figures for the capital programme are set ‘As budget’, this is because we have never underspent and where we have “over programmed” the additional amount has been found from the forthcoming year’s capital allocation. 

The amounts shown above relate to spray injection patching, conventional (machine) patching, conventional (hand lay) patching and carriageway overlay & reconstruction works etc. This is because all of these treatments will be used to rectify carriageway defects.

The County Council logs potholes as just another form of carriage way defect such as:
  • Course cracking
  • Crazing
  • Differential settlement
  • Abrasion
  • Joint failure
  • Rutting
  • Edge failure
The budget deployed by the County Council will be spent addressing all of the above faults regardless of their type.
  1. What was the average time scale from a pothole being reported, the inspector assessing the pothole and to it being properly repaired per year over the last 5 years including 2026 to date.
The below numbers have been given in average days:
 2021/22 (Q1)2021/22 (Q2)2021/22 (Q3)2021/22 (Q4)2022/23 (Q1)2022/23 (Q2)2022/23 (Q3)2022/23 (Q4)2023/242024/252025/26
CAT 10.60.50.41.00.70.60.70.91.52.11.2
CAT 21399141313121616.810.012.1
CAT 3282118462317213627.216.417.8
*Please note, prior to 2023/24, the information was recorded in quarters.
  1. What has been the average cost of a permanent pothole repair and a temporary repair per year over the last 5 years including 2026 to date.  Costs are not individually recorded and form part of the wider maintenance budget.
 
  1. How many inspectors are there assessing potholes and how many hours have been spent on this alone per year over the last 5 years.  16 inspectors X 37hr (per week) X 52 weeks (1 year) = 30,784hrs (this number has been consistent over the last 5 years).
We hope you find this information useful.

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https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/media/4323566/informationgovernanceandinformationrightsprivacynotice.pdf
 
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Yours sincerely


Freedom of Information
Complaints and Information Team
Chief Executives Department                                         
Nottinghamshire County Council
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