Potholes need to be a top priority

INVESTMENT in roads should be a higher priority for Greater Manchester councils than other infrastructure or apprenticeship programmes, according to a new survey of small business owners.

Research by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has identified Bolton as the pothole capital of Greater Manchester, with Trafford second and Manchester third-worst for complaints.

Oldham was fifth with 2,788 complaints — with Lord Lane in Failsworth named by the FSB as one of the roads most affected by potholes.

The FSB submitted Freedom of Information requests at all 10 local authorities in Greater Manchester to see which had recorded the highest number of public complaints relating to crumbling highways in the financial year 2013-14.

Simon Edmondson, regional chairman for the FSB in Manchester and North Cheshire said: “There’s a serious point to this research and that’s our members, who pay significant amounts in business rates, expect the local roads to be of sound repair.

“The research we’ve done suggests many feel they aren’t getting value for money and want councils to spend a bit more of their cash on making roads acceptable.”

Last year, pothole repair work on Oldham roads was given a £430,000 boost - good for repairing up to 8,000 holes.