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# Councillor says pothole-littered roads across Lichfield and Burntwood are a “disgrace”
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/councillor-says-pothole-littered-roads-across-lichfield-and-burntwood-are-a-disgrace/
- Published: 2018-04-10T14:05:32.000Z
- Updated: 2018-04-10T14:06:46.000Z
- Description: A councillor has branded pothole-littered roads across Lichfield and Burntwood a “disgrace”.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Politics, Transport, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 18:23, News

A councillor has branded pothole-littered roads across Lichfield and Burntwood a “disgrace”.

Staffordshire County Council [has been awarded an additional £2.2million](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2018/03/26/lichfield-and-burntwood-roads-to-benefit-as-government-adds-extra-2-2million-to-pothole-fund-in-staffordshire/) from the Government to help fight potholes across the region.

But Liberal Democrat Councillor Paul Ray said road surfaces across the district are not fit for purpose.

[![Cllr Paul Ray with one of the potholes on Dimbles Hill](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/potholes.jpg)](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2018/04/10/councillors-says-pothole-littered-roads-across-lichfield-and-burntwood-are-a-disgrace/potholes/)

Cllr Paul Ray with one of the potholes on Dimbles Hill

“In my Chadsmead ward and across Lichfield and Burntwood the state of roads is a disgrace,” he said.

“I have contacted Staffordshire County Council in particular about the potholes on Weston Road, Wheel Lane and Dimbles Lane in Lichfield. They are really dangerous.

“The Conservative-controlled county council that has responsibility for the roads and needs to explain what they are doing about their appalling state.”

Lichfield and Burntwood MP Michael Fabricant [has asked residents to help pinpoint potholes](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2018/03/28/residents-in-lichfield-and-burntwood-urged-to-help-pinpoint-potholes-as-governent-confirms-extra-2-2million-of-funding/).

But Cllr Ray said the issue needs a better response from the county council.

He said: “Local people are saying to me that the state of the roads causes serious damage to their vehicles and is also a public safety issue as motorists and cyclists have to manoeuvre to avoid the endless potholes.

“The speed of response in dealing with the potholes I have reported has been really disappointing but it was good to see workmen last week filling the potholes on Weston Road and Wheel Lane. I await confirmation of when they will be completing this work and when the potholes on Dimbles Hill will be filled.

“I have contacted Staffordshire County Council again for answers and will keep the pressure up so that this is dealt with urgently.”

[![Cllr Helen Fisher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/18379892165_334179f043_z.jpg)](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2016/06/15/closure-among-the-options-being-considered-as-councillors-review-future-of-lichfield-shopmobility-service/18379892165%5F334179f043%5Fz/)

Cllr Helen Fisher

Cllr Helen Fisher, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet support member for highways and transport, insisted the authority was doing what it could

“We have a huge rural network, stretching out more than 6,400km, and maintaining it is a huge undertaking especially after the winter months, where defects start to show.

“Good roads are really important to residents and business, not just getting people from A to B, but in growing the economy and linking people to jobs, education and community facilities.

“Last year we managed to fix more than 35,000 potholes as result of the extra £5million investment into the county’s roads. This new investment will help us continue this work and keep the county moving.

“We will continue to prioritise repairs based on the risk they pose, but it is important to remember that fresh potholes occur daily and we need to manage both the repairs of these and the expectations of what can be delivered with the budgets we have available.”

But Cllr Ray believes the issue of potholes are just the tip of the iceberg for what the future of council-run services could become.

“Potholes are just one example of the dreadful state of our public services,” he said. “As a Liberal Democrat I am extremely concerned about this.

“The Conservative Government and Conservative-run county council is starving these services of the funding they require. That applies to the roads, schools and the NHS.

“Our view is that our public services desperately need more funding and that means that we need to raise more tax income.

“For example, we say that a ring-fenced tax to replace National Insurance for the NHS and social care should be put in place and initially we would increase income tax by 1p in the pound for this. This is very well received on the door step where we get the message that people are prepared to pay some extra tax if they know it will be specifically allocated to the NHS and social care.”