Brighton & Hove Liberal Democrat's Pothole Watch
Our campaign to make our City roads and pavements safer
Have you ever tripped on a loose paving stone or driven down a road and hit a pothole? At some time nearly everyone of us has. It shouldn't be like that. We pay our dues so that we can have safe roads to cycle and drive on and pavements to walk on. All we ask for is something safe and reasonable to travel on. But it is not happening, instead we get excuses.
Enough is enough! Join our campaign to change things and make our roads and pavements safer.
We can be contacted on pothole.watch@liberalbrighton.org
So, what can we do as residents? The answer is simple, report those potholes and damaged pavements.
Remember, Brighton and Hove City Council has a duty under the Highways Act 1980 to maintain safe highways.
Reporting a pothole or defective pavement is relatively simple, just head to: https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/travel-transport-and-roads/roads-and-highways/roads-pavements-and-potholes-report-damage and follow the online reporting form. You have the option of ‘dropping a pin’ at the exact location, or simply putting in the postcode / street. If you do not have access to the internet you can call BHCC on 01273 292929, however there currently does not seem to be any way of emailing in incidents.
What you must DO if making a claim:
- Take pictures
- Submit a report via the link given above
- Keep a note of the reference number
What the Council must do.
In addition to the regular inspections, reports made regarding defects must be investigated, inspected and repaired within set time frames (repair in 2hrs, 24hrs, 7 days or 28 days) depending on the risk posed. An 'Actionable Defect' is a clear lip of 20mm on a footpath, and 40mm on a highway.. More information can be found on the Council Website [https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/travel-and-road-safety/roads-and-highways/pavement-and-road-repairs]
Liberal Democrats are here to help you
We are looking at the Council to make sure that they are spending your money where it should be spent. Not on wasteful publicity seeking ventures that don't improve your travel experience.
Brighton and Hove Liberal Democrats call on BHCC to:
- Update their reporting process, ensuring there is a way to track a report;
- Ensure residents are updated on the progress of their report, including if there are any delays or if the report has simply been declassified or ignored;
- Ensure a proper way of escalating issues and incidents;
- An online log of which potholes have been reported already to avoid duplication.
If you do require any support in reporting any potholes, sinkholes or other incidents, please do reach out to us at pothole.watch@liberalbrighton.org
What could happen if you claim?
The Council may make a Section 58 defence against your claim.
What is a Section 58 Defence?
That means the Council may claim that regular inspection and maintenance has been done. To succeed the Council must prove that regular inspection and maintenance has been done (by way of providing maintenance records).
So it is vital that you keep a log detailing the events from the time you complained to what happens after, if you are to dispute their claim.