Pothole Data 2015-2020 - Find a freedom of information request

For the purpose of these questions, please consider all references to a “pothole” to be defined as any physical defect in the surface of the road which potentially poses a hazard to road users, such as potholes, sunken manhole covers, cracks in the tarmac or any other defect.

1.

a. How many potholes were reported to Lincolnshire County Council in each of the past five years for which data is available?

b. How many of those potholes reported to Lincolnshire County Council, in each of the past five years for which data is available, failed to meet the required intervention criteria, as set by Lincolnshire County Council, due to insufficient depth, width or other factor?

Please provide answers for each year individually. If it is not possible to provide data for the past five years for which data is available, please provide it for the last full year for which data is available.

2.

a. Does Lincolnshire County Council set target repair times depending on the seriousness of an identified pothole/defect?

b. How many potholes/defects were repaired by Lincolnshire County Council in each of the past five years for which data is available?

c. Of those potholes repaired, how many were repaired within Lincolnshire County Council’s set target time, for each of the past five years for which data is available?

Please provide answers for each year individually. If it is not possible to provide data for the past five years for which data is available, please provide it for the last full year for which data is available.

3.

a. How many miles of highway is Lincolnshire County Council responsible for maintaining?

b. How many full-time equivalent staff does Lincolnshire County Council currently employ to inspect its highway network to identify and classify highway defects or potential highway defects?

c. How many full-time equivalent staff did Lincolnshire County Council directly employ to inspect its highway network to identify and classify highway defects on the 1st of January for each of the past four years (1/1/2016, 1/1/2017, 1/1/2018, 1/1/2019)

Please provide answers for each year individually. If it is not possible to provide data for the past four years for which data is available, please provide it for the last full year for which data is available.

1.

a. From 01/01/2015 to 01/01/2020: 67394

b. From 01/01/2015 to 01/01/2020: 13500

2.

a. Yes as per Lincolnshire's Highways Infrastructure Asset Management Plan, Appendix B
https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/directory-record/61685/highways-infrastructure-assetmanagement-plan

As such, this information is exempt from disclosure in accordance with the exemption set out at Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which provides that a public authority need not comply with a request for disclosure under the Act where that information is reasonably accessible by other means.

b. From 09/01/2019 to 15/01/2020: 103955

c. Due to the limitations of the system and working processes, it is not possible to retrieve this information without significant manual effort.

3.
a. 5713 miles

b. Lincolnshire County Council currently employs 19 Highways Officers and 9 Senior Highways Officers who carry out scheduled highways safety inspections as part of wider duties, and a further 15 Assistant Highways Officers who carry out ad-hoc inspections of the carriageway and may assist with scheduled highways safety inspections.

c. 1/1/2016: 32 Highways Officers carried out scheduled highways safety inspections as part of wider duties, and a further 18 Assistant Highways Officers and 8 Senior Highways Officers who carry out ad-hoc inspections of the carriageway and may assist with scheduled highways safety inspections

1/1/2017: 32 Highways Officers carried out scheduled highways safety inspections as part of wider duties, and a further 18 Assistant Highways Officers and 8 Senior Highways Officers who carry out ad-hoc inspections of the carriageway and may assist with scheduled highways safety inspections

1/1/2018: 19 Highways Officers and 9 Senior Highways Officers who carry out scheduled highways safety inspections as part of wider duties, and a further 15 Assistant Highways Officers who carry out ad-hoc inspections of the carriageway and may assist with scheduled highways safety inspections.

1/1/2019: 19 Highways Officers and 9 Senior Highways Officers who carry out scheduled highways safety inspections as part of wider duties, and a further 15 Assistant Highways Officers who carry out ad-hoc inspections of the carriageway and may assist with scheduled highways safety inspections.