Our ref: 61142145
23 November 2023
Aimee Stanton
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Account reference:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Dear Aimee Stanton
I can confirm that the information requested is held by Birmingham City
Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you.
Request Dear Birmingham City Council,
Can I please request, in the form of a spreadsheet such as Excel or CSV file,
information on potholes reported to and repaired by the council since 2017.
1. The total number of potholes reported to the council, broken down by month,
for the calendar years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (to date).
2. The total number of potholes repaired by the council, broken down by month,
for the calendar years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (to date).
3. The total amount of money paid out in compensation due to potholes, broken
down by calendar year in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (to
date).
4. The amount of money spent by the council on fixing potholes, broken down
by calendar year in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (to date).
If this request cannot be met within the cost limits for Freedom of Information
requests, please can you provide me with advice and assistance on how I may

refine my request.
Yours faithfully,
Aimee Stanton...
Response 1.The total number of potholes reported to the council, broken down by
month, for the calendar years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023
(to date).
While Birmingham City Council maintain an asset management system that
quantifies various assets, such as roads and infrastructure, a pothole itself is
not considered an asset within our systems. Therefore, we are unable to
provide a precise figure for the total number of potholes in the city due to
various factors that influence how a "pothole" may be categorised. These
factors may include size, depth, location, and severity, among others.
Therefore, it would be inaccurate and misleading to present a definitive count of
potholes in the city.
However, Kier, on behalf of the City Council actively investigates all reported
carriageway defects and proactively identifies and repairs those discovered
during routine inspections and those reported by the public. Attached you will
find the number of ‘pothole’ enquiries received over the specified date
period. Please see the attached spreadsheet.
2. The total number of potholes repaired by the council, broken down by
month, for the calendar years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023
(to date).
Please see the attached spreadsheet.
The number of defects repaired and the number reported will always differ due
to the varying timescales associated with each repair. All defects are given a
safety risk categorisation and scheduled for repair accordingly. Defects that
might be considered less of a safety risk will take lower priority than those with
higher risk from previous months.
3. The total amount of money paid out in compensation due to potholes,
broken down by calendar year in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and
2023 (to date).
Please see the attached spreadsheet.
4. The amount of money spent by the council on fixing potholes, broken
down by calendar year in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (to
date).
We are unable to provide definitive costs for each repair carried out. Highway
repairs are carried out under a fixed monthly fee and as such it is not possible
to determine the cost of individual repairs.
Please quote the reference number 61142145 in any future communications.
If you are dissatisfied with our response to your request, you have the right to
ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within
40 working days from the date this authority issued its initial response. Please
outline which part of the response you are not happy with setting out your
reasons. This request should be addressed to:
Corporate Information Governance Team
PO Box 16366
Birmingham
B2 2YY
Email:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
If you are still dissatisfied with the Council’s response after the internal review
you have a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner at:
The Information Commissioner's Office
Website:
www.ico.org.uk
I will now close your request as of this date.
Yours faithfully
Jenny Bent
Business Support Coordinator
Re Use of Public Sector Information
Where Birmingham City Council is the copyright holder of any information that may be released, re-use for personal,
educational or non-commercial purposes is permitted without further reference to the City Council. Where the re-use is
for other purposes, such as commercial re-use, the applicant should notify the City Council in writing to seek approval or
agree terms for re-use