Pothole reports and repairs
Dear Sunderland City Council,
I am requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding potholes in the council area. I understand different councils may define potholes and repairs differently, so I would appreciate clarification if your council applies a specific threshold for logging or repairing potholes.
I would like to request the following data for the past five calendar years (2020–2024):
1. The number of potholes recorded each year, including potholes reported by the public and confirmed through council inspections (if these are reported differently)
2. The number of individual potholes repaired each year, including temporary repairs (e.g., patching) and permanent repairs (e.g., resurfacing). Note this refers to the number of individual potholes that were repaired, not the total number of repairs.
3. The total annual cost of pothole repairs, if available.
If the data is recorded differently, I would appreciate any comparable figures you can provide, along with a brief explanation of how pothole reports and repairs are logged in your system.
If this request exceeds the cost limit under the FOI Act, please let me know how it may be refined to remain within the statutory limits.
Thank you for your help; please let me know if you require any clarification or have any questions.
All the best,
Jamie Dixon
Thank you for your request for information concerning Pothole reports and
repairs.
Your request has been recorded and your reference number is FOI_9051,
please quote this reference should you need to contact us.
The Council is aware of the importance for dealing with these matters as a
priority and will provide available information within 20 working days,
unless, exceptionally, there is a need to consider whether the information
is exempt from disclosure.
We will contact you again soon in connection with your request.
[1][email address]
[2]A black background with red letters Description automatically generated
Dear Jamie Dixon,
I refer to your recent request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000. I can confirm that the Council does hold this some
of the information, as detailed below.
I am requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
regarding potholes in the council area. I understand different councils
may define potholes and repairs differently, so I would appreciate
clarification if your council applies a specific threshold for logging or
repairing potholes.
I would like to request the following data for the past five calendar
years (2020–2024):
1. The number of potholes recorded each year, including potholes reported
by the public and confirmed through council inspections (if these are
reported differently) Sunderland City Council are unable to provide this
as the information is not recorded.
2. The number of individual potholes repaired each year, including
temporary repairs (e.g., patching) and permanent repairs (e.g.,
resurfacing). Note this refers to the number of individual potholes that
were repaired, not the total number of repairs.
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
7,703 9,770 6,823 12,387 13,100
3. The total annual cost of pothole repairs, if available.
2020 2021 2022
2023 2024
£275,256 £311,584 £244,772 £308,951
£398,034
This information has been provided in response to a Freedom of Information
request and this must be acknowledged in any subsequent use of the
information. In addition, the authority must be notified of any proposed
re-use of this information for commercial or other purposes.
I hope this is satisfactory. If, however, you are dissatisfied with our
response to your request for information, you can ask for the decision to
be reviewed in reply to this letter, however any request for review must
be submitted within 40 days of the date of this freedom of information
response. The review will be removed from the Directorate and coordinated
by the Council’s team of Solicitors. A request for review should be
directed, by email to [1][Sunderland City Council request email] by post or
by hand addressed to Business Support, Sunderland City Council, City Hall,
Plater Way SR1 3DP.
If this fails to resolve your concerns, then you have the right to apply
to the Information Commissioner for a decision.
Kind Regards,
Laura
Laura Caldwell
Programmes and Compliance Assistant
City Development Directorate
Sunderland City Council
Email: [2][email address]
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[4]www.sunderland.gov.uk
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