From 31st March 2013 to 1st April 2008, Swindon Borough Council spent £23,869.74 on compensation to motorists whose vehicles were damaged by potholes on Swindon’s roads.
From 31st March 2013 to 1st April 2008, Swindon Borough Council spent £23,869.74 on compensation to motorists whose vehicles were damaged by potholes on Swindon’s roads.
This information was obtained by Labour Councillor & the Labour Group’s Shadow Lead for Strategic Planning & Transport, Julian Price, through a question at the last Full Council Meeting on July 18th, to the Cabinet Member for Leisure & Strategic Transport.
Claiming compensation from the Council for damage to a vehicle only has a realistic chance of success if the motorist can show that the damage has been incurred directly from a particular pothole. So for most motorists it won’t be possible for them to obtain compensation from damage to their vehicle from a pothole.
The Swindon Labour Group are calling for additional investment to road resurfacing in order to reduce the number of potholes in Swindon and therefore reduce the Council’s possible liability to compensation claims from motorists. They point to the New Homes Bonus funding as a possible funding pot to use to deliver additional investment in road resurfacing.
The Swindon Labour Group’s Shadow Lead for Transport, Councillor Julian Price, said: “I’m sure Swindon residents will be surprised that the Council has paid so much in compensation to motorists as a result of potholes damaging their vehicles.
It’s important to stress that there has to be very clear link with a specific pothole to the damage of the vehicle before a motorist would have a chance of claiming compensation from the Council. So for most motorists it won’t be possible to obtain compensation from damage to their vehicle, though that doesn’t mean many more vehicles are not damaged from potholes with the motorist having to pick up the tab.
Maintaining Swindon’s roads is a core council service that the Swindon public expects to be delivered to a very high standard. Yet more and more potholes are being found and last year the Conservative administration decided to cut the capital road maintenance budget by over a million pounds this year.
I have been working with other Labour Councillors about moving a motion at a future Council Meeting, calling for more council investment in resurfacing roads in Swindon. We believe only through additional road resurfacing investment will potholes be prevented from emerging on our roads, which will mean the Council being less vulnerable to compensation claims from motorists with damaged vehicles.”
Cllr Julian Price
Swindon Labour Group Shadow Lead for Strategic Planning & Transport