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Councillor Mogford asked: Leader, Across the city of Newport ,the issues of potholes and general road deterioration is a recurring theme. Recently at full council your Cabinet member, Cllr R Howells seemed to blame the previous Westminster Government, once again, for the current perilous state of some of the roads in Newport and failed to recognise that Welsh Government could do a lot more to alleviate this matter. At one level this is of course quite disingenuous, and residents are tired of hearing such politically motivated excuses. That said, your personal commitment to addressing the problem from a top down approach is well noted. By that I mean you are clearly allocating significant extra funding. However, if it not already apparent to you I would like to bring to your attention the poor quality of repairs being brought to my attention as a ward councillor. I also see further evidence almost daily of repair failures around the city. Any positives you may have achieved seem be undermined by the perceived quality of work being carried out in some cases. What actions, if any, are you taking to ensure that TAX POUNDS, wherever they are channelled from. are more effectively and efficiently spent. Are you raising these concerns to the CEO and relevant department officers? Councillor Batrouni responded: I am pleased to note that the investment to date in our resurfacing programme across Newport are already showing clear benefits, and this investment will continue through 2026/2027 – a 10 year high. We were only able to do this thanks to the Labour government’s ending of austerity. It is clear, however, we must invest more to match demand and need. For context, reporting of defects has increased significantly over the winter period. This reflects the prolonged, severe winter and persistent wet weather conditions experienced across Wales, which have accelerated deterioration of the highway network. This is not a position unique to Newport and our teams are working hard to undertake repairs and make-safes in accordance with the Council’s Highways Maintenance Manual. On the issue of repair quality, the significant increase in potholes means our highway teams are working extremely hard to keep pace with demand. Their priority is to ensure all potholes are made safe in accordance with the Council’s Highways Maintenance Manual until their next scheduled inspection. It is also worth noting that these same teams are responsible for delivering the Council’s winter maintenance service, which adds further pressure during periods of severe weather. I work closely with the Chief Executive and her senior officers on investment decisions across the Council, and would reassure you that as I have already stated, the priority is to ensure that all potholes are made safe in accordance with the Highways manual.
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