Keighley bids for slice of £500,000 pothole repairs fund (From Keighley News)

Keighley bids for slice of £500,000 pothole repairs fund

9:00am Sunday 10th March 2013 in Keighley

Keighley has been revealed as a pothole hotspot.

New figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show that in 2011, Bradford Council spent £212,000 fixing 5,963 potholes across the district – with Keighley, Bradford and Shipley listed as the main problem areas.

It spent £215,000 last year repairing 6,159 potholes. But the number of complaints from residents has fallen – from 1,722 two years ago to 1,453 in 2012.

Councillor Val Slater, the local authority’s executive member responsible for roads, said the council would continue to increase the amount it spent on the district’s roads and pavements, with £500,000 earmarked for improvements after last Thursday’s budget meeting.

The money is in addition to £1.58 million in extra government funding for road maintenance during the next two years, which was announced in December.

Coun Slater said: “This is something we do take seriously and we have listened to the people of Bradford district.

“The roads have been affected by the weather and a lack of resources from central government.

“I’ll be the first to say the £500,000 we have put in will not solve the problem, so we have got to focus on the most difficult potholes and continue to improve our roads.”