Edinburgh MP Scott Arthur calls on Scottish Government to put more money into pothole repairs

In a speech in the House of Commons, he suggested SNP ministers could follow the example of Labour at Westminster and set up a special repair fund.

And he also used the opportunity to argue that England should follow Scotland’s example with powers for councils to ban pavement parking.

The JCB Pothole Pro has not been used on 190 days since the council took delivery of it in March 2023

Dr Arthur, MP for Edinburgh South West and former transport convener in the Capital, told fellow MPs he was proud of the city and the fact tourists came from all over the world to see it. “However, I am often ashamed of what they encounter on arrival, particularly the potholes that litter the city.

“It is not just in Edinburgh, however. Scotland’s roads are in a horrendous state, with more than 400,000 potholes reported to local authorities since 2021.

“The state of our roads is a great visual way of understanding local government finances. Edinburgh receives the lowest per capita funding of any council in Scotland. It is absolutely shameful for a capital city to be treated in that way.”

He said since taking control of the city council in 2022, Labour had made real efforts to improve the roads, including by bringing in a Pothole Pro machine, known as the “pothole killer”.

And he said Edinburgh’s independently assessed road condition indicator had improved by 4.5 per cent in the past year, the highest ever improvement in a single year.

Dr Arthur continued: “The UK Government have created a dedicated pothole repair fund for councils south of the border. It stands at £1.6 billion, including £500 million of new money, so tens of millions of pounds have made their way to Scotland via the Barnett consequentials to fill potholes.

“That money was handed to Scottish Government Ministers, but they have set up no similar fund. Instead, they just blame councils for potholes.

“John Swinney, the First Minister, says that councils already have enough money to fix our roads, despite the fact that the national backlog is somewhere between £2.5 billion and £3 billion.

“It is not just about the cost of filling the potholes; Cycling UK estimates that across the UK, one cyclist dies every week because of a pothole, so the cost is immeasurable.

“Enough is enough. Scotland’s pothole crisis cannot continue. The SNP Government must show some level of ambition—the same level of ambition as the UK Government—when it comes to potholes.“

But Dr Arthur said in many cases, the state of pavements was worse than the roads. “If we are serious about creating a more active and equal nation, we must discuss pavement conditions every time we talk about road conditions.

“There is an easy and low-cost way in which the Government could improve our footpaths, and that is by giving local authorities the power to introduce a pavement parking ban.

“A complete ban in Edinburgh last year has transformed the city and will lead to better quality pavements over time. I hope that towns and cities across England will soon have the same powers.”