Meeting of the Parliament 19 December 2024
I am delighted to bring chamber business to a close today. I thank all the organisations that have provided briefings for my members’ business debate and all the MSPs who have chosen to speak in it, as well as those who have kindly stayed behind. I am sure that we are all wanting to get out of here and enjoy our Christmas holidays, so I will try my best to keep my remarks short.
The presence of potholes is one of the most frustrating parts of driving, and I know that because I have been driving for more than 30 years. I can say that, like many others in the chamber, I have been cursed with potholes many times.
Potholes, as we all know, are often caused by weather conditions such as heavy rain and freezing temperatures, which Scotland is no stranger to. Potholes can cause excessive damage to cars through tyre, exhaust, suspension and wheel damage, bent rims and much more.
Potholes are more than capable of causing car accidents, whether people are going through the pothole or avoiding it—especially when having to veer to the other side of the road, which is not only dangerous but illegal. That means that drivers are often left to decide whether to break the law or damage their vehicle.
Research by the Scottish Conservatives has shown that, from fiscal years 2021-22 to 2023-24, the number of potholes that were reported to councils increased by 15 per cent—from 94,356 to 108,256. In my area of East and West Dunbartonshire, drivers reported 2,463 potholes and 1,875 potholes respectively for 2023-24. In fact, Great Western Road, which partially crosses through my area, was found to be one of the worst roads in Scotland for potholes. The frustration with potholes often comes up through constituent correspondence and surgeries, and at the doors when I am speaking to constituents in East and West Dunbartonshire who have expressed their anger at the lack of action.
It is estimated that it could cost a total of £2.6 billion to fix the potholes in Scotland’s roads, and more than £4 million has been paid out to fix pothole damage by local authorities since 2019.